LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMEI 



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SURCULA CARPENTERIANA 
Figure 41, page 57. 



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West Coast Shells. 



A FAMILIAR DESCRIPTION OF THE 

MARINE, FRESH WATER, and LAND MOEEUSKS 

OF THE UNITED STATES, FOUND 

WEST OF THE ROCKY 

MOUNTAINS. 



Adapted to the Use of Schools, Private Students, Tourists, 
and all Lovers of Nature. 



JOSIAH KEEP, A. M., 

Professor of Natural Science, Mills College. 



With Numerous Illustrations by LAURA M. MELLEN, 
Teacher of Art, Mills College. 





IUL 181887 

San Francisco : / 6 / 9 ^ .« 



BANCROFT BROTHERS & CO 

532 MARKET STREET, 

1SS7. 



OL4I7 



Copyright, 1887, BY JOSIAH KEEP. 



H. S. CROCKER & CO... 
Printers. 



PREFACE. 



The kind reception given to ray little book on the "Common 
Sea-shells of California," has induced me to prepare this larger 
work, embracing a wider territory, namely, that part of the United 
States lying west of the Rocky Mountains. 

The present volume includes descriptions of all the species men- 
tioned in the former one, together with many others of the more 
minute and uncommon marine shells which are found from Puget 
Sound or Alaska on the north, to San Diego on the south. 

It also describes the land and fresh-water mollusks of California, 
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada, thus making it of 
use as a reference-book for the interior, as well as along the 
sea-coast. 

While not claiming absolute completeness, I trust it will be 
found sufficient to enable students and collectors to identify all the 
specimens which they will be likely to gather within the limits 
already mentioned. 

The nearly two hundred engravings have all been drawn from 
nature, expressly for this work, and while materially increasing- 
its cost, they will, I trust, even more increase its value. 

Some additional matter respecting the authors of the specific 
names, a Glossary, and a brief Key for the Analysis of Shells, will 
be found near the close of the book. 

The work is written in a familiar style, but is believed to be 
scientificallv accurate. Though containing many hard names and 



^™ 



4 PREFACE. 

technical descriptions, I hope that the indicated pronounciation of 
the names, and the interest of the subject, may render it available, 
not only as a school-library reference-book, but as a book for 
supplemental reading in the more advanced classes of our schools. 

It is most desirable that the children and youth of our Western 
Slope should become interested in, and intelligently acquainted with, 
the rich and varied forms of life which are resting or moving all 
around them. 

If this book shall awaken or increase an interest in the humble 
but beautiful creatures of which it treats, my purpose will be accom- 
plished. 

It remains for me to thank the many kind friends who have 
assisted me ; particularly Mrs. C. T. Mills, whose generous addi- 
tions to the college cabinet have been of the greatest assistance; 
and Miss Laura M. Mellen, whose skill in illustrating the work speaks 
for itself, but whose patience and painstaking are known to but few. 
I also wish to thank those who have kindly given me valuable 
specimens and information, and to commend our united labors to 
all lovers of nature. J. K. 

Mm,s College, California, July, 1887. 



WEST COAST SHELLS. 



CHAPTER I. 



The Ocean Home — Its Inhabitants — A Visit to the 
Shore— The True Fairyland — What We See There 
— Beautiful Forms oe Liee — Sympathy with Living 
Things — Our Choice — The Kindly Spirit. 

THE ocean is a great home. Its waters are full of 
life. The rocks along its shores are thickly set 
with living things ; the mud and sand of its bays are 
pierced with innumerable burrows, and even the abyss 
of the deep sea has its curious inhabitants. 

Huge whales steam along near the surface of the 
ocean ; fishes of a thousand kinds are at home a little 
lower down ; crabs and lobsters, star-fishes and sea- 
urchins, creep along the rocks or make their way 
through the masses of seaweed which grow near the 
shores. Clams and oysters lie on the bottom ; sea- 
snails, with their curious shells, mussels, barnacles, 
and a host of inferior creatures, all find their proper 
places in this great ocean home. 

We are not able to see all that is going on under 
the water; in fact, our field of observation is quite 
limited ; but by keeping a sharp lookout we may be 



6 THE OCEAN HOME. 

able to discover a great many interesting facts, and to 
make very probable guesses as to things which we 
cannot clearly observe. 

So come with me some fine summer morning down 
to the ocean beach. We will choose a day when low 
tide occurs about sunrise, and we will be promptly on 
hand at that hour. There is a light fog floating over 
the water, and as we come down to the shore we are 
surprised to see what a broad stretch of mossy rocks 
has been left bare by the retreating tide. 

We walk quickly across the sandy beach, clamber 
over the slippery rocks as far as the water will allow us, 
and then we look and listen. Some distance out the 
big waves come rolling in, smooth and glassy, till 
they strike the shoaling bottom. There the lower 
part of the wave is stranded, but the top by no means 
loses its shoreward motion. Rushing forward, it curls 
and breaks into foam with a roaring splash, while the 
water at our feet, feeling the impulse, presses in be- 
tween the rocks with a soft murmur and then flows 
back again to meet the next incoming wave. 

There are tones of music in all this never-ending 
motion of the sea which can hardly be described, but 
which bring to the ear of the sympathetic listener the 
sweetest of nature's harmonies. The deep bass of 
the breakers mingled with the lighter notes of the 
throbbing wavelets, the dripping of the mossy rocks, 
and the rustle of little crustaceans — all these sounds, 
united with the sweet breath of the sea, and joined 
with the lovely forms and beautiful colors which 
are all around us, all these make us believe that we 
are in fairyland, and we almost envy the mermaids in 
their homes among the coral groves, where the dra- 
peries are mosses and the pavements are of pearl. 



BEAUTIES OF THE SEA. 7 

But we see no mermaids here, though there is 
plenty of life. Here is a huge arching rock, and 
under it is a pool of the clearest sea- water. 

We stretch ourselves upon the soft moss, and partly 
enter the charmed grotto. In the pool are a few 
bright fishes, which dart round their little ocean, 
evidently alarmed by our presence. As they swim 
through the shallow water, they brush against the 
slender mosses, which wave to and fro and display 
their graceful forms ; or perhaps they touch the frond 
of an irridescent sea-weed, which, as it moves, reveals 
its beautiful colors. 

On the bottom, or attached to the sides of the 
stones, are star-fishes of brilliant and varied hues — red, 
yellow, purple and brown — contrasting strongly with 
the green sea-grass, and making it seem as if the sky 
had last night sent a shower of stars into the ocean, 
and some of them had been left when the tide ebbed 
away. 

Brilliant patches of living sponge — scarlet, orange, 
or drab — paint the dark rocks ; colonies of lace-like 
polyzoans are scattered over the stones and old 
shells ; pretty sea-snails are creeping slowly along the 
roof of our grotto, or quietly waiting, with all imagin- 
able patience, for the return of the tide ; strange tuni- 
cates and other low forms of animal life add to the 
beauty of form and color, and excite our curiosity 
to know what they are and how they live ; sea- 
anemones — those living flowers — open their tube-like 
petals and glow in the morning light ; and a host of 
other things, u creeping innumerable n — all welcome 
us to this beautiful home in the sea. 

Our liveliest hosts are the little crabs, which 
scamper off sidewise, backwards, forwards, or in any 



8 OCEAN LIFE. 

other direction, as we approach, crowding into the 
narrowest of cracks, whence they peer out with their 
curious stalked eyes, while they stand ready to de- 
fend themselves with their jaw-like claws. If we 
manifest no hostile intent, they will quickly come 
creeping down again, and begin anew the business 
of the day. How their glossy shells shine !- — white, 
green, red, or brown, or perhaps combining all these 
colors in harmonious patterns. 

There is such a thing as getting into sympathy 
with all these humble animals ; and, as you lie on 
the rocks and admire the wondrous combinations of 
form and color, equaling in beauty the finest gardens 
of the dry land, there is such a thing as feeling an 
intense sympathy with all these humble creatures, 
and losing all thoughts that you are here for study in 
the consciousness that you are among friends. 

How you wish to become acquainted with them 
all ; to learn their habits and enter into their instincts 
and feelings ! But, as among our own kind, we 
cannot possibly become acquainted with one in a 
thousand of all the good people on the earth, so, here 
in the sea, we must necessarily choose our special 
friends, and wait for future opportunities to become 
better acquainted with the others. 

For good reasons, to my mind, I have chosen the 
Mollusks as special objects of study, and now wish to 
introduce them to any one who is seeking to make 
pleasant acquaintances. I will vouch for it that there 
is not one of them that carries a bag of poison, or 
that will harm you in the least ; and if you only 
approach them in a friendly spirit, they will stand 
ready to give you the best of their possessions, and 



THE KINDLY SPIRIT. 9 

make your life sweeter and happier for having known 
them. 

One thing I beg of you : never be cruel to my 
friends. It may be necessary and right to deprive 
some of them of life, but it need never be done 
wantonly or cruelly. And while you admire their 
lovely shells, think even more of the quiet and pleas- 
ant lives which they spend in their ocean home. 



CHAPTER II. 

Bolinas — The Captain's Story— Mt. Tamalpais— The 
June Morning — Duxbury Reef — The First Shell — 
Its Parts and Their Names — Growth oe the Shell 
— Spiral Lines and Lines of Growth — Varices — 
Repairs — Color — Operculum — Foot — Head — Naked 
Slugs — Mollusks — Gasteropods — Names — Why in 
Latin — Pronunciation — Generic and Specific 
Names — Authorities. 

ONE fine June morning, some years ago, I found 
myself in the pretty little town of Bolinas. The 
village is nestled among the cliffs and along the shores 
of Bolinas Bay, which is the first inlet north of the 
great entrance to the Bay of San Francisco. Bolinas, 
or Baulines, as you wall find it spelled on some maps, 
is only about ten miles north of the Golden Gate, but 
it is so shut in by a high mountain on the east, and 
by the great Pacific on the west, that you would 
hardly guess that you were so near to San Francisco, 
the metropolis of the Pacific States. 

The bay was once quite commodious, but now it is 
so filled with mud and sand that only the smallest 
sea-going craft can cross the bar, while at low tide 
great patches of gray sand and brown mud lie exposed 
to the sun. 

Most of the houses are near the low shore, but 
some of them are perched upon the cliffs and serve a 
good turn as lighthouses. 

A friend of mine, an old sea captain, was once sail- 
ing down the coast in a fog. He reckoned that he 



THE CAPTAIN'S STORY. II 

was some miles away from land when, all of a sudden 
— it must have been on a Monday, — the fog lifted, and 
right in front of them, high up on one of these Bolinas 
bluffs, they saw a whole line of newly-washed clothes 
hanging out to dry. 

Although these signal flags were white and not red, 
they had the effect of the most emphatic danger sig- 
nals ; and with a prompt turn of the wheel the vessel 
swung off without striking, and with a blessing on the 
good washerwoman the captain was soon speeding 
away from the mainland towards a place of safety. 

Behind the town rises Mt. Tamalpais, from whose 
top, on a clear day, one gets a magnificent view of the 
ocean. 

The road over this mountain leads through groves " 
of fine trees, and is full of surprises and delightful 
little views. If you want to enjoy real luxury of 
scenery, within a little distance from the great city, 
take a stage ride across the mountain from San Rafael 
to Bolinas. 

Well, on that June morning, I was up early to take 
advantage of the low tide. There was no fog, and 
when the sun showed his face over the top of the 
mountain, the beach and bay and ocean were all beau- 
tifully lighted up, and invited one to a morning of 
the most cheerful study. 

I went up the beach, past the hull of a wrecked 
vessel over which the waves were breaking, and then 
struck out across a long expanse of mossy rocks 
which form the shoreward end of the dangerous Dux- 
bury Reef. 

From the little patches of gravel between the rocks 
came jets of water as I passed along, revealing the 
presence of the clams which I will speak of hereafter. 



12 



BOLINAS BAY 



I dug out some of them, but gave most of my atten- 
tion to the inhabitants of the rocks. 

Turning back the masses of olive green Fuctts, 
that most ancient of sea-weeds, I found a considerable 
number of mollusks with shells like the one shown in 
Fig. i. It is not a very common species for Califor- 
nia, but is more abundant to the north, about Van- 
couver's Island and southern Alaska. 

The shell of a full-grown specimen is an inch and 
a half long. It is spindle-shaped, that is, it is largest 

in the middle, and tapers to- 
wards each end. There is an 
opening on the right side of the 
shell, extending about half way 
to the apex or point. This 
opening is called the aperture, 
and is marked ap. 

This aperture is sometimes 
called the mouth of the shell, 
though it is in no sense the 
mouth of the animal ; but since 
it has been called the mouth, 
the sides of the shell which 
bound it are called lips. The one towards your right 
hand is the outer lip, and is marked o.L; the inner 
lip is usually so grown to the central axis of the shell 
that it is not distinct from this part round which the 
shell seems to revolve, and which is called the 
columella. 

At the lower end of the aperture is a little curved 
canal, marked ca. in the figure. 

Many shells do not have this canal, but have an 
oval or nearly circular opening. The animals which 
have shells with canals are mostly carnivorous, while 




--Co. 



THE FIRST SHELL. 1 3 

those with circular apertures are usually vegetable 
eaters. 

Just to the left of the canal is a little chink or hole 
called the umbilicus, marked u. In some shells the 
umbilicus is very large, and is the space left as. the 
turns of the shell grow in a spiral form, curving 
around a central opening. Each turn of the shell is 
called a whorl; the last and largest one, b.w., is 
the body whorl. The earlier and smaller whorls make 
up the spire, sp., and the line of union between twx> 
whorls is called a suture, which is marked s. in our 
picture. Thus we come round again to the apex, a., 
from which we started, and from which our little 
creature started also ; for wdien it was hatched from 
an egg, it had a minute shell of two or three whorls, 
which remain, in part at least, as the whorls nearest 
the apex. 

As time went on, the whorls increased in number, 
the outer lip being constantly built up, and the aper- 
ture thus going round and round the central axis of 
the shell, and all the time growing larger and larger. 
The outside of the shell is not perfectly smooth, but 
is marked by about twenty little grooves and an equal 
number of ridges, which follow the shell round and 
round, from the apex to the edge of the outer lip, 
where you see them very distinctly. We will call 
these markings spiral lines, to distinguish them from 
other markings on the shell. 

The growth of the shell is frequently interrupted 
for a little time, and if vou follow back from the edo-e 
of the outer lip, you can see numerous little lines, 
parallel with the present edge, and curved just as the 
edge is now. These marks, which run across the 
spiral lines, are called lines of growth, and show you 
just where the lip ended when the shell was younger. 



14 ITS MARKINGS. 

Sometimes the animal pauses for a considerable 
time before it builds another whorl to its shell, and 
during this time it spends its strength in thickening 
the outer lip, or throwing out a ridge or frill ; after 
this it goes on smoothly for awhile, and then builds 
another ridge. Each of these periodical elevations, 
which thus vary the surface of the whorl, is called a 
varix. 

The number of varices to a whorl differs as much 
as their shape ; some shells having but two, others 
three, while still others have many of these distinctive 
markings. 

The varices on this shell are best seen in young 
specimens, and consist of nine rounded ridges to a 
whorl. In full-grown specimens the body whorl has 
no distinct varices, and those on the spire become 
somewhat worn off and obliterated. Quite often a 
piece of the outer lip gets broken off by an accident ; 
then the patient animal builds on a new lip, often 
leaving a big scar to show where the break was re- 
paired. 

Inside, the shell is of a dark-liver color, with lighter 
spiral lines ; without, it is about the same color, but 
is generally covered with an ash-colored powder, 
giving it a dingy appearance. 

Now that we have examined the parts of the shell, 
let us study the living animal, which all this time 
has kept itself concealed in this spiral tube. 

We will put a few of our specimens into a glass jar 
of sea-water, and watch their motions. 

First, from out the aperture comes a little brown 
scale, which serves as a door, and which the tenant 
had closed after he had withdrawn himself into his 
house. This door is called the operculum. We shall 



NATURE OF SHELLS. 1 5 

notice how greatly the operculum varies in the differ- 
ent species that we are to study ; but for the shells 
now under consideration the operculum is a somewhat 
oval, horny plate, just fitting the aperture. If we 
examine it, we shall notice that it was once very 
small, and that there are additions around its edge, 
and fine marks which correspond to the lines of growth 
on the shell. 

After the operculum, the body of this curious sea- 
snail begins to appear : first a flat, crawling disk or 
foot, by which he clings to the rock, and is able to 
slowly move along its surface. And now, in the front 
of this creeping disk, we see the animal's head, with 
its pair of tentacles or feelers. The eyes are set upon . 
stalks, often at the base of the tentacles ; they are 
small organs, probably of quite limited vision. 

A considerable portion of the animal, however, 
never leaves the shell — in fact, the shell is grown to 
the skin or mantle by which it is secreted. We may 
often pick up the empty cases of little crabs, and 
may be pretty sure that they are but the cast-off, 
hardened outer skins of those crustaceans ; for the 
crabs shed their shells periodically, somewhat as a 
snake casts its old skin. 

But if we find the empty shell of any snail, we may 
be sure that its former occupant is no longer alive. 
There are land-slugs and sea-slugs which look like 
snails without shells, and some people believe that 
they once had such protections ; but the fact is, they 
belong to species which never had and never will 
have any shells, except, perhaps, very small and rudi- 
mentary ones. 

There are many other things which we might 
notice about our little animal ; such as his teeth, his 



1 6 MOIXUSKS. 

gills, and his curious foot, with its transverse muscles; 
but the tide has turned, and we had better be getting 
ashore, since we belong to a class of air-breathing 
animals, and are wholly unprovided with gills. We 
will only stop to observe that this animal has no 
bones, but is soft in all its parts, except its teeth and 
shell ; hence, it is called a mollusk, which name is 
derived from the Latin mollis, meaning soft. 

Because it crawls upon its stomach, or ventral sur- 
face, as we would say, it is called a Gasteropod, from 
the Greek words meaning stomach-footed. 

Nearly all the names of shells are derived from the 
Latin or the Greek. These names may sound rather 
barbarous to us, but no more so than if they were 
written in German or Russian. Why not write them 
in English, then? 

A fair question, surely, and if English was univer- 
sally spoken, it might be hard to find a satisfactory 
answer. But an English name, to a Russian, would 
be as bad as a Russian name to you, and since the 
Latin language is studied by scholars of all nations, 
and since scientific names should all be written in one 
language, there is no doubt that the Latin tongue is 
best adapted for this purpose. 

There are different methods of pronouncing Latin, 
but as some of my readers may not be acquainted 
with that language, and may like to know at least 
one way to pronounce the names, I shall indicate the 
pronunciation according to the English system, by 
which you pronounce a Latin word as you naturally 
would if it were an English one spelled in the same 
way. If you are a Latin scholar, and prefer to pro- 
nounce by the Roman or the Continental method, you 
may be sure that very many will agree with you, and 
certainly I shall find no fault. 



NAMEvS. 1 7 

Each mollusk has two names — that of the species or 
kind, which is written last, and that of the genus 
or group, which is written first, and which always 
begins with a capital letter. This generic name, as 
it is called, is a noun; while the specific name, or 
name of the species, is an adjective, and agrees with 
its noun in gender, according to the Latin standard. 
It may begin with either a capital or a small letter ; 
with a capital, if it is derived from a proper name, 
otherwise, with a small letter. Some writers allow 
no capitals in specific names. Sometimes, instead of 
a proper adjective, the genitive form of the proper 
noun is used, signifying possession. The whole name 
strictly applies to the entire, living mollusk ; but it is 
also used in reference to the empty shell. 

To the specific name is added the name or initials 
of the naturalist who first applied that name to the 
species. These initials are added so that it may be 
easy to refer to the original specimen or description, 
if it is necessary to identify the shell beyond all doubt. 

The name of the species shown in Fig. i is Chryso- 
domus dims, Rve. , Kri-so-do'-mus di'-rus. Near the 
close of the book you will find a brief sketch of Mr. 
Reeve, as well as of other naturalists who have given 
names to our species. It is an honorable list. Many 
of these men struggled bravely to obtain their knowl- 
edge, and they present worthy models for our imita- 
tion. Even in the hard names of shells the human 
element is present, and the initials of such men as 
Gould and Carpenter are a constant inspiration to one 
who knows something of their worthy lives. I trust 
the brief accounts given of these men ma}' incite you 
to learn more of their history, and to study their 
writings with renewed zeal. 

(2) 



CHAPTER III. 

The Tides — The Order Adopted — Synonyms — Terms 
Defined — Epidermis — Position of the Shell for 
Study — Descriptions of Species — Anachis — Macron 
— fusus — murex — pteronotus — ocinebra. 

WHILE I was out on the reef, that fine June morn- 
ing, gathering specimens of the shell already 
described and of other interesting kinds, the tide 
began to come in and my investigations were some- 
what disturbed. As the shore was a good way off, I 
began to make my way across the rocks for the beach ; 
but the water gained upon me, though at last my wet 
feet were safely planted on the warm, dry sands. I 
would beg my readers to never run serious risks in 
collecting shells ; especially on the sea-coast keep a 
sharp lookout for the waves and the tide, for more 
than one person has been swept away from a lack of 
watchfulness. 

Considerable space has been given to a consideration 
of the first species, not because it is the most inter- 
esting shell to be found on our coast, but that an 
explanation of its parts may serve as a guide in the 
study of many other species. 

Authors differ very widely in the order they adopt 
for the classification of shells ; but as this book is not 
designed to present disputed points of classification, 
but to enable you to see and recognize the features, 
determine the name, and learn the haunts and habits of 



METHODS OF STUDY. 1 9 

the mollusks which you may find, it has seemed best 
to essentially follow the order adopted by Dr. P. P. 
Carpenter, in his report on 4 ' The Mollusks of Western 
North America.' ' 

Many very small shells will be but briefly described, 
and where there are several varieties of the same 
species, the principal ones only will be noticed. Still, 
I trust that every shell which ordinary collectors will 
be likely to gather upon this coast may be identified 
by the engravings or the descriptions. 

Sometimes the same species has received several 
distinct names, given by men who were not aware 
that it had been named before, or who have named 
two or more varieties of the same species. 

In such cases, I have endeavored to give the most 
approved name, sometimes referring to the others as 
synonyms. For the study of such perplexing points, I 
would refer my readers to the larger books and to the 
reports of learned societies. 

Chrysodomus liratus, Mart., li-ra'-tus, is a species 
from Alaska, having a fusiform shell three inches 
long, brown in color, and marked by a few sharp spiral 
ridges, especially prominent on the body whorl. 

Anachis penicillata, Cpr., An'-a-kis pen-i-sil-la'-ta, 
has a minute, slender, brownish shell, consisting of 
six finely-ridged and sculptured whorls. Its length 
is only one-fourth of an inch. This, and the next 
species, Anachis sitbturrita, Cpr., sub-tur'-ri-ta, which 
is smaller and has fainter ribs, are both found in 
southern waters, that is, from the region of Santa 
Barbara to the coast of Mexico. 

By the term ribs, I would indicate little ridges 
which run across the spiral lines. The word is used 




20 THE MACRONS. 

in a different sense by some writers, so in the begin- 
ning I would clearly define what is meant by the 
terms to be used. 

In Fig. 2 we have a picture of the shell of a little 
mollusk which lives on the above-mentioned southern 
coast. Its name is Macron lividus, A. Ad. , 
Mak-ron liv'-id-us. The shell is small, seldom 
more than an inch in length, without sculp- 
ture, and of a brownish color. When found 
living it is covered with a brown epidermis, 
which is laid on in little ridges, and resem- 
Fig. 2. bles a coating of fine, soft cloth. 
We shall often have occasion to speak of the epi- 
dermis or outside coating of the shell. In this species 
it is very persistent, that is, it clings to the shell and 
covers it from the apex to the canal. In many species, 
however, it is easily removed ; and when specimens 
have been knocked about a little their epidermis is 
nearly lost. Still other shells, like the smooth Olives, 
show scarcely a trace of epidermis. 

The shape of out Macron is well shown in the 
figure ; the whorls are five in number, the outer lip 
sharp and curved, and the canal short and bent. 

The position to hold a shell for study is shown in 
the .figure. The apex should be uppermost, and the 
axis, or the line which may be supposed to run through 
the center of the whorls, should be vertical. In this 
way the spire becomes the upper part of the shell, 
and we know that it is the oldest part, while the canal 
is the lowest portion. The French usually draw their 
figures of shells with the apex downward, but they 
observe the same rule in regard to the vertical axis. 

Notice the strong white fold on the inner wall 
near the top of the aperture ; it is a characteristic 



SPINDLE SHELLS. 21 

mark of this species. These shells may be found on 
rocks, between tides, and may be easily recognized by 
the figure and the description. 

Macron Kellettii, A. Ad., Kel-let'-ti-i, is a larger 
species, found on the coast of Lower California. The 
shell is of a dark color, nearly smooth, or marked with 
low ridges. The aperture is very large, the outer lip 
thin, and the canal a mere notch. Its length is more 
than an inch. 

Trophon multtcostatus, Esch., Tro'-fon mul-ti-cos- 
ta'-tus, is a northern species, having a small, pear- 
shaped, white shell, with several sharp, frill-like 
varices. The sutures are deep, and the few whorls 
of the spire are very distinct. Otherwise it is smooth. ' 
Length, less than an inch. 

Trophon Orpheus, Gld., Or-fe'-us, is smaller than 
the last, but similar in shape. The sharp, white 
varices make a crown at the sutures. These varices 
are crossed by small spiral lines. 

Fusus Kobelti, Dall, Fu'-sus Ko-bel'-ti, is found on 
Santa Catalina Island. It is spindle-shaped, and very 
graceful in form. There are five or six whorls, with 
nine elevations on each whorl, crossed by fine, dark, 
spiral lines. Color, whitish ; length, from an inch 
to two inches. 

Fusils ambustits, Gld., am-bus'-tus, has a small, 
spindle-shaped shell, with a rather long aperture. 
The dark-colored surface is roughened by numerous 
knobs and spiral lines. Length, less than an inch. 

A beautiful shell found occasionally at San Diego, 
and further to the south, is known as Murex trialatus> 
Sowb., Mu'-rex tri-a-la'-tus. It is a representative of 
the great genus of rock-shells, which are so abundant 



23 MUREX. 

in the warmer oceans, particularly about Panama. 
The rock-shells, or Murices, usually are highly orna- 
mented with frills, spines, or knobby varices, and are 
sometimes gorgeously colored, particularly within the 
aperture. Almost every house has a Murex among 
its treasures, and a countless number of little children 
have learned to notice and admire the beautiful shape 
and color of one or more of these shells. 

Brilliant shells belong to warmer seas than this 
part of the Pacific. The rare species which we are 
now considering is of a dull-white color, marked with 
brown stripes. It may easily be recognized by its 
three sharp frills, its small oval aperture, and its 
tubular canal. Its length is two or three inches. 

Another rare shell, sometimes found in southern 
waters, is named Siphonalia Kellettii, Fbs., Si-fo- 
na'-li-a Kel-let'-ti-i. My specimen is from Santa 
Barbara ; it measures five inches in length, and thus 
ranks among the largest of all our shells. It has a 
regular, conical spire, three inches long, marked with 
numerous rounded knobs. The aperture is elliptical 
in shape, not very large, and the canal turns back- 
ward. The shell is strong, heavy, white within, and 
somewhat brownish without. 

Muricidea incisa, Brod., Mu-ri-sid'-e-a in-si'-sa, 
belongs to southern waters, and is not common. The 
shell is marked by strong, rounded, transverse ridges, 
which give the spire an appearance of being chopped 
full of holes. Color, white, with cross-stripes of 
brown ; length, an inch and a quarter. 

We have, in Fig. 3, the shell of another of the 
southern species — one which loves warm water too 
much to emigrate far to the north. Its name is 
Pteronotus festivus, Hds. , Ter-o-no'-tus fes-ti'-vus. 



SOUTHERN SHELLS. 



23 




The shell is plainly marked by three reflexed frills 
on each whorl, alternating with 
rounded knobs. In perfect speci- 
mens there are numerous fine spiral 
lines of sculpture, which are often 
indistinct or covered by foreign sub- 
stances. The aperture is small and 
oval ; but the most noticeable feat- 
ure is the canal, which is complete- 
ly closed, forming a tube, slightly 
reflexed near its extremity. The 
length of the shell is nearly two 
inches; its color is white, though the 
outside is very dingy, and is some-, 
times striped with brown. 
Ocinebra Poulsoni, Cpr., O-sin-e'-bra Poul'-son-i, 
has a strong, spindle-shaped shell, and is found about 
San Diego. Its surface is strongly marked with 
rounded varices, which are crossed by fine, dark, 
spiral lines. The walls of the aperture, in mature 
specimens, are pure white, and within the outer lip 
are five or six little round knobs or teeth. Let some 
one try to find out whether these teeth are merely for 
ornament, or whether they have some useful office. 

The canal is open and somewhat curved, and the 
operculum is a thin, brown scale. The length of the 
shell is from an inch to two inches. 

The other Ocinebras are much smaller 
than the last species, and some of them are 
rather difficult to determine. Fig. 4 repre- 
sents the shell of Ocinebra lurida, Midd., 
lu'-ri-da. This pretty little shell is com- 
mon at Monterey and other parts of the 
Fig. 4 . coast. It is spindle-shaped, and is marked 




24 OCINEBRA. 

by fine spiral grooves. The aperture is oval ; the canal 
sometimes open and sometimes tubiform. While the 
spiral lines are prominent, the transverse sculpturing 
is faint. The color, as is indicated by the name, is 
usually reddish yellow, but sometimes it is nearly 
white. The length is one-half or three-fourths of an 
inch. At low tide I have found living specimens 
clinging to stones. 

Ocinebra interfossa, Cpr., in-ter-fos'-sa, Fig. 5, is 

of about the same shape as the last species, though it 

is usually rather larger. It, too, has spiral 

grooves, but it also has sharp varices and deep 

sutures. It varies in color through shades of 

yellow, gray and brown. It is found near 

the places which the preceding species in- 

Fig. 5. habit. 

And now comes another species of this genus, 

Ocinebra circumtexta, Stearns, cir-cum- 

tex'-ta. The shell is represented in Fig. 6. 

It is larger and heavier than the last, has a 

short spire, rather low varices, but very deep 

and distinct spiral grooves which give the 

outer lip a scolloped appearance. It is of a 

reddish color within, but externally it is 

Fig. 6. whitish, with brown spots. 

Ocinebra gracillima, Stearns, gra-sil'-li-ma, is a 

small, southern species, similar, in some respects, to 

Fig. 5, but smoother and darker colored than the shell 

of O. interfossa. 




CHAPTER IV. 

Belcher's Chorus — Nuttall's Hornmouth — Another 
Hornmouth — What is Meant by Species — Compared 
to the Colors oe the Rainbow — The Unicorn 
Shells — Why Shore Shells are so Strong — Advice 
to Observers — Tyrian Purple — The Rock Purple — 
Its Varieties — The Grooved Purple — The Wrinkled 
Purple. 

THE large mollusk whose shell is shown in Fig. 7 
is such a lover of the warm waters which bathe ■ 

the coast of Southern California, that it never migrates 

far to the north, but is 
found in the vicinity of 
San Diego. The engra- 
ving is of about half the 
length of a good sized 
specimen, though some of 
these shells are found 
which are fully six inches 
long. It may sometimes 
be picked up upon mud 
flats at the time of low 
tide. Its name is Chorus 
Belcheri, Hds., Ko'-rus 
Belch'-er-i, or Belcher's 
Chorus. The shell as a 
whole is somewhat pear- 
shaped, ending in a long 
Fi s- 7. canal, to the left of which 

is a deep, funnel-shaped umbilicus. The spire is 




26 



THE HORN-MOUTH. 



conical, quite rough and jagged, and the body whorl 
is guarded by a crown of strong, sharp points. The 
operculum, like that of all similar shells, is thin and 
horny. The color of the shell is a dull white, some- 
what tinged with brown. 

Fig. 8 introduces us to another southern shell, 
Cerostoma Nitttallii, Conr., Se-ros'-to-ma Nutt-all'-i-i, 
which we may translate as Nuttall's Hornmouth. In 
the latter part of the book you will find a brief notice 
of Mr. Nuttall, for whom this species was named by 
Mr. Conrad, about whom also you will find a few 
words. If you examine a full-growm 
shell of this species you will find a 
sharp tooth, or horn, near the base 
of the outer lip. The presence of 
this horn on the rim of the aperture 
is so peculiar a feature that a name 
was chosen for the genus which 
should indicate its presence. We 
shall find the Greek word for mouth, 
stoma, combined in various ways to 
form the names' of different genera, 
as Chlorostomct) the Green-mouth, 
Calliostoma, the Beautiful-mouth, 
and Melanostoina, the Black-mouth. 
Our Cerostoma, or Horn-mouth, 
as you see in the engraving, has a distinct spire 
marked by ridgelike varices, a small aperture, and a 
closed canal. 

Some young specimens have no horn on the wall 
of the aperture, and have an open instead of a closed 
canal. Allowance must always be made for the age 
and development of the specimen. Most of the draw- 
ings in this book were made from adult specimens, 




THE HORN-MOUTH. 2J 

and may be supposed to be of the average natural 
size, unless something is stated to the contrary. 

The shell of this species is about two inches long, 
of a dingy white color, somewhat marked with brown, 
and each whorl usually has three distinct varices 
with rounded knobs between them. 

Cero stoma foltatum, Gmel., fo-li-a'-tum, which is 
thought by some to be but a variety of the last species, 
has a larger shell, which is very conspicuously marked 
by three broad, wing-like varices, which appear to be 
made up of overlapping plates, like shingles on the 
roof of a house. I have only one specimen in my 
collection, but that one is a beauty. It was found alive, 
under a stone, and was given to me a few minutes 
after its capture. 

Whether we shall consider C. foliatum as distinct 
from the species shown in Fig. 8, or whether it is but 
a mere variety of the same species, is a matter of very 
little consequence in itself; but it is an inquiry which 
opens the door to very intricate questions concerning 
the definition of the term species. 

By some it is believed that a species includes all 
the descendants from an original pair of ancestors. 
Dr. Isaac Lea, that patriarchal naturalist, said : ' i A 
species must be considered a primary established law, 
stamped with a persistent form — a type, pertaining 
solely to itself, with the power of successively repro- 
ducing the same form and none other." 

Others, who have studied and observed extensively, 
believe that species and genera do not exist in nature, 
but are merely convenient terms to designate groups 
of similar forms and characteristics ; and that, like 
other provisional terms, they w r ill pass away when a 
better system of naming is devised. 



28 WHAT IS A SPECIES? 

It seems to me that varieties of living beings are 
like shades of color — indefinite in number, and blend- 
ing into one another like the tints of the rainbow. 
Though there are shades in the middle of the spectrum 
which one might call green, and another might call 
blue, still, blue is blue, and green is green, and ever 
remain so. We may give names to the intermediate 
colors, like light blue or greenish blue, but no one 
doubts that each of these shades is distinct, though 
not easily defined. So, though we doubtless must 
reduce many of our present species to the rank of 
varieties, and though there may be many varieties 
concerning which there will be differing opinions, 
and which will be variously classed, even by thought- 
ful observers — still, I believe the great forms of life, 
the true species, exist unchanged, and can vary only 
within fixed and narrow limits, unless it be by the 
express act of creative power. 

Next on our list comes a small genus of mollusks, 
which are almost exclusively confined to the west 
coast of America. A good representation of one of 
these shells is shown in Fig. 9, which illustrates the 
common Unicorn shell, Monoceros lapilloides, Conr., 
Mo-nos'-e-ros lap-il-loi'-des. The Greek name, Mo- 
noceros, is exactly translated by our word 
" Unicorn, " which is derived from the 
Latin, and both of them mean single-horn. 
The specific name, lapilloides, means, re- 
sembling a pebble. The little horn near 
the base of the outer lip is the key to the 
generic name, and the rounded, granite- 
like appearance of the shell explains the 
second, or specific name. 

It is a pretty little shell, about an inch in length, 




UNICORN SHELLS. 29 

with a spire of four whorls, a rather small aperture, 
within which are several knobs or teeth. 

The outside is marked by fine spiral grooves, crossed 
by lines of growth ; and the colors, white and brown, 
are broken up into little checks, giving it a grayish 
appearance. I have found many of these mollusks 
on the rocks, near the upper tide-mark. In such an 
exposed position they are liable to receive severe 
knocks, as the the waves come dashing in, and if 
their shells were light and thin, like some of those 
which we shall soon have occasion to examine, they 
would quickly be broken to pieces. Shore shells are 
usually strong and solid ones. Whenever you exam- 
ine a shell, please notice such points, and try to find 
out how it is adapted to its surroundings. In this 
way, shell gathering becomes something more than a 
mere pastime, for it brings us face to face with the 
great questions of life, of design, and of final causes. 
Along with specimens of Chry sodomies dirus, shown 
in Fig. 1, I found on Duxbury Reef a great number 
of shells quite similar to those of the last species. 
They were on the moist rocks, under the heavy growth 
of sea-weed, and were of almost the same color as the 
stones to which they were clinging. A view of one 
of these shells is shown in Fig. 10. The 
name, derived from the angular appear- 
ance of the whorls, is Monoceros eiigoua- 
tum, Conr., en-go-na'-tum. While the 
former species resembled a rolled pebble, 
this one has sharper corners and looks as 
if it had been less worn. In other respects 
it is very similar to M. lapilloidcs, and 
Fig. 10. some observers think they are but varieties 
of the same species. The remarks on a preceding 




3<D A CHANCE FOR STUDY. 

page, concerning the different kinds of Cerostoma, 
apply equally well to this genus, and a careful study 
of the variations seen in specimens which are found 
in different localities and under different conditions is 
highly interesting. 

Accurate observations by any one may prove valu- 
able, both to the observer and to the cause of science 
in general. There are many things yet to be learned 
about even our most common animals, and no one 
need despair of discovering some new truth. 

It is a good thing to know the names of the objects 
which we are studying, for that enables us to speak of 
them intelligently and definitely ; but to this knowl- 
edge of the name we will try to attach all available 
facts which relate in any way to the nature and habits 
of the creature that we are studying. 

Monoceros lugubre, Sowb., lu-gu'-bre, found on the 
coast of Lower California, and perhaps a little farther 
north, has a thick, heavy shell about an inch long. 
The wall of the aperture is of a brown color, and is 
marked with several rows of white tubercles. The 
little horn near the canal is very 7 distinct. 

In olden times, the inhabitants of ancient Tyre 
used to get a purple dye from the bodies of several 
kinds of mollusks which lived along the shores of the 
Mediterranean Sea. It is said that this dye can be 
obtained by pressing upon the operculum, and that it 
is of a light color at first, but turns darker by expo- 
sure to the air. Large quantities of shells are found 
near Tyre, which seem to have been broken in stone 
mortars, doubtless for the purpose of obtaining this 
precious purple dye. How successfully the coloring 
fluid may be obtained from our own species remains to 
be determined, but the ancient custom of extracting a 




THE PURPLES. 31 

purple dye from similar mollusks has given a name 
to a great genus, several species of which live upon 
this coast. That name is Purpura, or the Purple 
shell. The Latin name for our most common species 
of Purples is Purpura saxicola, Val., Pur'-pu-ra sax- 
ik'-o-la. We may call it the Rock Purple, as its name 
refers to its habit of living upon the 
rocks. A somewhat enlarged picture 
of one variety, the banded kind, is 
shown in Fig. 11. In form and 
habits it is very similar to the little 
Purpura lapillus, which is so abundant 
along both shores of the Atlantic Ocean. 
Our Purples love to frequently change 
their element, for they select for a home 
those rocks which are alternately left 
Fig. n. bare and covered again by the tides. 

The books state that the Purples are carnivorous, 
boring into mussel shells and eating the unfortunate 
inhabitant ; also that they are quite destructive to 
oyster beds. I have never seen them engaged in these 
alleged atrocities, but would be very glad to hear 
from witnesses who had caught them in the act. 

The shell is rather less than an inch in length, and 
has a short spire, a flattened columella, a sharp-edged 
outer lip, a short canal and a small umbilicus. The 
inside is reddish brown, but the outside varies greatly, 
both in form and in color. Sometimes it is smooth 
and almost black, sometimes white and coronated; 
but often it is of a dingy white, decorated with double 
spiral bands of dark brown, accompanied with spiral 
grooves. 

Various names, zsfuscata, emarginata and ostrina^ 
have been given to the different forms, but probably 



3^ 



THE PURPLES. 




Fig. 12. 



consists 
distinct 
feature, 



they all belong to one species. The Atlantic Purple 
exhibits similar varieties of form and color. 

Purpura lima, Mart., li'-ma, which is the same as 
Purpura canaliculata, Duclos, is shown 
in Fig. 12. It is more rarely met with 
than the last species, probably on ac- 
count of its living in deeper water. In 
size it is rather larger than P. saxicola, 
while in appearance its shell is more 
smooth and symmetrical. The spire 
of four whorls, separated by 
sutures. The distinguishing 
however, and the one which 
gives the name to the shell, is the presence of about 
fifteen spiral grooves on the whorls, giving its surface 
somewhat the appearance of a coarse file. The oper- 
culum, as in all the Purples, is thin, horny, and some- 
what oval in shape. The color of the shell is light 
brown. It is a very pretty species, and may easily be 
recognized by its rounded and channelled whorls. 
There is another member of the same genus which 
lives in San Francisco Bay, but which 
is more common and more finely devel- 
oped, a few hundred miles farther north- 
ward. The shell varies very much in 
respect to its surface, a specimen being 
represented in Fig. 13, which is only 
moderately rough. You notice that 
the shell is widest in the middle, that 
it has an elliptical aperture, a short 
canal, a distinct spire, and numerous 
sharp varices. Its color varies from 
white to brown; some specimens are pure white and 
are quite smooth, others are almost wholly brown 




THE PURPLES. 33 

and somewhat rough, while others are marked with 
bands of color and are richly ornamented with nu- 
merous wrinkled frills. This last characteristic has 
determined the name for the species, Purpura cris- 
pata, Chem., cris-pa'-ta ? the Wrinkled Purple. One 
of the synonyms by which it is known is P. lactuca, 
Esch., which name was probably given to white 
specimens. 

The shells are always strong and heavy, and have 
an average length of an inch and a half. Many 
specimens are longer and wider than the engraving, 
while some are even smaller. 

Though the smooth white varieties are very plain 
in their appearance, some of the northern beauties, 
all frilled and banded as if to attract attention, are 
worthy of a place in any choice collection of hand- 
some shells. 

(3) 



CHAPTER V. 

Shell-gathering on the Sands — The Amphissa — Dead 
Shells and Live Ones — Hermit-crabs — The Kel- 
grass Shells and Where to Find Them — The Bas- 
ket Shells and Their Habits — Nassa Perpinguis 
and Nassa Mendica. 

WHEN the tide is high, the waves often wash up 
great numbers of little shells into sheltered coves, 
and leave them there to be gathered when the tide has 
ebbed away. It is very pleasant to lie down upon the 
warm sand, on a summer afternoon, and while the 
waves are rushing to and fro at your feet, to look for 
these beautiful bits of organic structure. Whenever 
you find a pretty one you put it in a little bag, or, 
what is more likely, you lay it away in some large 
shell which you have picked up for that purpose. 

Among the most abundant of the shells to be thus 

found on our coast is the little Wrinkled Amphissa, 

Amphissa co7 r rugata, Rve., Am-fis'-sa cor-ru- 

ga'-ta, which is shown in Fig. 14. It is 

exceedingly abundant along the coast of 

California, where its common length is only 

half an inch. In Puget Sound, however, it grows 

Fig. i 4 . to a muc j 1 l ar ger size, being often fully an inch 

in length, and of corresponding proportions. 

The spire consists of four whorls, separated by a 
plainly marked suture. Spiral striae, or fine lines, 
may be found at the base of the shell, above which the 
whole surface is ornamented with numerous ribs or 



SHELLS ON THE SANDS. 35 

varices, giving it the corrugated appearance from 
which it takes its name. The color of the shell may 
be either red, orange, gray, light brown, or almost 
black ; and a collection of them, in a glass, furnishes 
a very pretty assortment of tints. ' 

It is pleasant for you to find these pretty shells all 
clean and dry oil the warm sand, but such collecting 
is not enough to give you the keenest relish for the 
work. You want to find the little animal at home, 
and see how he keeps house, before you can form a 
correct notion of his peculiarities. If you search 
among the stones at low tide, turning them over with 
a stove poker or some similar hook, you will probably 
be able to find some living specimens of our little ■ 
Amphissa. Such a triumph is not soon forgotten. 
Don't be deceived, however, by the little hermit-crabs 
which get part way into dead and empty shells and 
then draw them around as a piece of armor, but 
search until you find the true living mollusk. 

In your search along the beach you will surely find 
great numbers of a similar species, the little Eel-grass 
shell, Astyris gausapata, Gld. , As'-ty-ris gau-sa-pa'-ta, 
which is shown in Fig. 15. This shell, for- 
merly called Amycla carinata, is about the 
size of a grain of wheat. The spire is conical, 
rather long, and marked by faint sutures. 
Fig. 15. The aperture is small, and in adult specimens 
the lip is somewhat thickened. The color of the 
shell is either light or dark brown, and its surface is 
polished and glistening, and often mottled by dots 
or stripes. The figure is considerably magnified. 

This little mollusk lives in great numbers at the 
roots of the eel-grass, and dead shells are washed up 
abundantly upon the beach. In the variety carinata 



36 THE EEL-GRASS SHELL. 

the body whorl has a stout spiral keel, just below the 
last suture. 

Astyris tuberosa, Cpr., tu-ber-o'-sa, has a very 
small, slender, brownish shell, the lower whorl of 
which is marked with two rows of minute, whitish 
tubercles. It is found on the southern coast of Cali- 
fornia, as are two other species of the same genus, 
A. chrysalloidea, Cpr., and A. auranticea, Dall, both 
of which are of small size. 

The next genus which we will consider is named 
Nassa. The word literally means a basket for taking 
fish. Most of the members of this genus have a retic- 
ulated or checked surface, somewhat like network or 
the sides of a basket. 

Our largest Basket shell is named Nassa fossata, 
Gld. , Nas'-sa fos-sa'-ta. An excellent picture of it is 
given in Fig. 16. The spire is coni- 
cal, consisting of five or six whorls, 
and ends in a pointed apex. The 
surface of the whole shell is marked 
by spiral and transverse ridges, the 
former of which appear also within 
the outer lip. The thickness of this 
lip varies much with the age of the 
animal, as does the callus of enamel 
which is spread over the columella. 
This enamel, in mature specimens, is 
Fig. 16. of a bright orange color, and contrasts 

finely with the light ash color of the general surface 
of the shell. 

The canal is short and abruptly reflexed, while just 
above it is a deep ditch or fossa, showing at once 
from what the name is derived. The use of the canal 
seems to be to afford space and protection for a 




THE BASKET SHELL. 37 

breathing tube which projects above the surface of the 
mud which the animal is exploring for its prey. 

The Nassas are active mollusks, and are cordially 
hated by the oystermen, because they are so fond of 
boring a hole through the shells of young oysters 
and eating the contents with as much relish as any 
other judge of good living. They bore into various 
clams, too, and it is even hinted that they sometimes 
attack their own kind. But they are scavengers also, 
and consume the flesh of dead crabs and Hke animals 
which are so liable to be found near the shores. I 
have some beautiful specimens of this species which 
were taken from the stomach of a large fish, showing 
that the biter of other animals is liable to be swallowed . 
whole when the avenging and hungry fish comes 
round. The length of an adult shell is about an inch 
and a half, and is seldom as much as two inches. 
Nassa tegula, Rve., teg'-u-la, shown in Fig. 17, is 
a southern species. Shell, strong ; spire, 
conical, half the length of the whole shell, 
and marked with little knobs ; aperture, 
small ; canal, reflexed ; inner lip covered 
with a large callus of smooth, white enamel. 
Color, dark gray ; length, three-fourths of 
Fi- 17. an inch. 

Nassa mendica, Gld., men'-di-ca, Fig. 18, is a vari- 
able species, having a shell about the length 
of the last one, but more slender. The sur- 
face is marked by numerous fine spiral lines, 
crossed by ridgy varices. It is light brown in 
color, with a white peristome, or margin of 
the aperture. It occurs all alono- the coast 
from Puget Sound to San Diego. 
Nassa Coopcri, Fbs., Coop'-er-i, which has seven 





38 



NASSA. 



ribs to a whorl, and fine spiral sculpture, is now con- 
sidered as a variety of the species mendica. 

Nassa perpinguis, Hinds, per-pin'-guis, Fig. 19, is 
our last species of the interesting group of 
Basket Shells. It resembles the first one, 
whose shell is shown in Fig. 16, but it is 
much smaller, being less than an inch 
long. Its whorls are beautifully rounded 
and cut into little squares. The shell is 
thin, light brown in color, with a trace of 
orange inside. It is chiefly found on the 
coasts. The name, perpinguis, simply 
means fat, while mendica, the name of another species, 
means lean. Can you not see from the cuts why these 
names were applied ? 




Fig. 19. 

southern 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Morning Walk — My Search for Shells — Success 
Assured — The Olive Shell— Its Habits and Habitat 
— Directions for Cleaning Shells — Other Olives — 
The Black Mitre — Volvarina Varia — The Rice 
Shell — Other Minute Species — The California 
Frog Shell — Its Curious Mode of Growth — The 
Oregon Priene. 

ONE fine summer morning I rose very early, took 
my long rubber boots, an old hoe, and a basket, put 
a few crackers in my pocket, and silently stole away 
from the little tent among the pines where the rest 
of my family were continuing their slumbers. I fol- 
lowed the long path which led along the cliffs, here 
coming down close to the shore, and there cutting off 
a sharp headland of rocks, till I reached my destina- 
tion. This was a little strip of sandy beach from 
which the water had all receded, for it was at the very 
lowest ebb of the early tide. I sat down on a rock, 
took a cracker from my pocket, and began to investi- 
gate both it and the prospect. In front of me was 
the strip of sand sloping down to the light waves ; 
behind me was the high bank of earth, and the rocks 
were on either side ; but no shells were to be found 
except a few well-worn specimens which had been 
tossed up by some departing wave. 

But I was not expecting to find shells in plain sight, 
so I cheerfully pulled off my shoes and drew on those 
very convenient appendages, the long rubber boots. 



40 A HUNT FOR OLIVES. 

Now I was ready for work and taking up my hoe 
I began to dig in the sand. There was plenty of sand 
to dig in, in fact, too much of it, for it apparently 
took up all the room and left no place for shells. 

At length I struck upon a spot w T here a little stream 
of water was oozing out from the bank of sand. As 
I scraped away the surface, I saw something which 
would have made me dance for joy had I not been 
weighed down by the long boots. For there, in very 
truth, was a live Olive, with its graceful shell shaped 
like Fig. 20, and a beautiful, pearl-colored body. 
It quickly withdrew this into the shell and closed 
the aperture with a very insignificant scale, which 
seemed to be an apology for an operculum. 

I picked up the pretty little creature, and 
scientifically mused somewhat as follows : 
The Latin name for this mollusk is Oli- 
vella biplicata, Sby. , Ol-i-vel'-la bi-pli-ca'- 
ta. The shell is about an inch long, 
apparently smooth and polished, yet show- 
ing under the microscope very fine and 
f^^ beautiful reticulations. The spire is short, 
the aperture long and narrow, the canal a mere notch, 
and the outer lip thin edged. Upon the inner wall 
of the aperture is a lump of white enamel, and at the 
base of the columella are two little folds, which are 
referred to in the name biplicata, twice folded. The 
color of the shell varies much in different specimens ; 
some are almost pure white, others are very dark, but 
most of them are dove-colored, with purple trim- 
mings. They are about the size and shape of the 
olives of our orchards, and their name has no mystery 
connected with it, but doubtless refers to their appear- 
ance. 




PREPARATION OF SHELLS. 4 1 

Well, as I proceeded with my hoeing, my joy 
increased, for I found them by the hundred, and I 
had gathered about a thousand before the tide came 
in so far as to render further work impracticable. 
They seemed to lie in groups just under the surface 
of the sand, yet wholly concealed from sight. You 
must go at the very lowest morning tides, if you 
wish to gather them, and search till you find the bed ; 
for they seem to be active burrowers, and to travel 
rapidly from place to place. 

I took some of them home and put them in a jar 
of beach-sand and sea-water. You will be pleased to 
do the same if you ever have the opportunity, for 
their movements are very interesting. You will then 
see the plow-shaped foot which quickly digs a hole 
in the sand, and the long breathing-siphon which 
curls up through the canal, and reaches through the 
sand up to the clear water, like the trunk of a swim- 
ming elephant reaching up for air. 

To clean the shells it is simply necessary to spread 
them in the sunshine for a few hours, when the ani- 
mal will be found to be dead and loosened from the 
shell. The soft parts can then be removed with a 
pin. 

To clean most shells, however, it is necessary to 
throw them into boiling water. In a few minutes 
they can be taken out and the animal withdrawn by a 
little hook or bent wire. 

If only a part of the body can be obtained, the 
shell may be securely plugged with cotton. It is well 
to fill even perfectly cleaned shells, and attach the 
operculum to the cotton by a drop of glue. They 
will then appear as if they were living specimens. 
Much will depend upon one's time and taste for this 



42 THE BLACK MITER. 

part of the preparation, but the thorough cleaning of 
the shell is indispensable, and should be attended to 
as soon as possible after specimens are gathered. 

Olivella bcetica, Cpr. , be'-ti-ca, Fig. 21, has a more 
slender shell than the last species, and is smaller in 
all respects. Some specimens are larger than the 
engraving, but the spire is always quite tapering, 
and the shell is usually thin and delicate. The 
color varies, but it is generally brown or bluish, 
sometimes diversified with yellow stripes. 
Fi s- 21 - A short, yellowish variety is sometimes called 
Olivella intorta, but it seems to me that it does not 
deserve that name, which is applied to a species found 
in the Gulf of California. I think all our specimens 
may be classed under one or the other of the two 
main species. 

Most of the Olives live in warmer waters than those 
which bathe the west coast of the United States, and 
some of them from tropical seas are very beautiful 
and richly colored. 

Mitra mattra, Swains., Mi'-tra mau'-ra, is a dusky 
relative of the beautiful Miter Shells which are found 
in the vicinity of Australia. Some of those southern 
shells, like the Pope's Cap, and the Bishop's Cap, 
look exceedingly gay with their yellow, 
white, and scarlet markings and their crown 
of graceful points. 

Our species, however, as shown in Fig. 
22, has a plain, smooth shell, while its color 
is almost black, and it is wholly devoid of 
the gay trimmings of its relatives. The 
shell is strong and firm, spindle-shaped, 
obscurely marked by lines of growth and 
Fig 22. spiral threads. The columella is ridged by 




RICE SHELLS. 43 

three strong, oblique folds which are very conspicuous. 
The length of the shell is from an inch to two inches 
or more. It is seldom found living, but dead and 
broken shells are not unfrequently thrown up by the 
waves. The folds on the columella, the dark brown 
shell, and the black epidermis are decisive markings. 

The pretty little shell of Volvarina varia, Sby., 
Vol-va-ri'-na va'ri-a, is about the size and shape of a 
grain of wheat. It has a very short, rounded spire, a 
long aperture and a plaited columella. Its surface is 
very smooth and glossy, and varies in color from white 
to brown, the shades being often laid on in bands and 
stripes. It is a southern species and is found on rocks 
between tides. 

There are several little pure white shells about the 
size of a grain of rice, all of which are popularly 
known as Rice Shells. Most of them live in the 
warmer oceans, but one which here commonly passes 
by that name is rather sparingly found on our coast. 

fits true name is Marginella Jewettii, Cpr. , 
Mar-gin-el'-la Jew-ett'-i-i, a rather large 
name for so small a shell. Fig. 23 gives 
an enlarged view of the shell, with a little 
Fig. 23. cross beside it to show the true length and 
breadth. You will notice these little crosses beside 
several other figures in the book. 

The shell is pure white, pear-shaped, and has no 
visible spire. The columella is plaited, and the aper- 
ture extends the whole length of the shell, which 
is rather less than one-fourth of an inch in length. 

Marginella subtrigona, M. regularis and M. piri- 
formis are three species similar in form to the last, 
but so very minute that they would hardly be noticed, 



44 



RANELLA. 



except by one with very sharp eyes. They occur on 
the southern coasts. 

From these very small shells we pass abruptly to a 
very large one, Ranella Califomica, Hds., Ra-nel'-la 
Cal-i-for'-ni-ca, commonly known as the Frog Shell. 
The picture of a small specimen is shown in Fig. 24. 

This shell is very strong and 
solid, and its surface is marked 
with many knobs and ridges. It 
appears to grow forward half a 
whorl, and then the creature 
pauses and builds up a thick lip. 
Leaving this ridge at length, it 
completes the whorl, and then 
forms another varix. The result 
of this singular method of shell- 
building is, that the shell has 
two ridges extending from the 
apex to the canal, on opposite 
sides of the whorl. This feature 
is characteristic of the whole Ranella genus. 

Our species is essentially a southern mollusk, though 
I have seen a few good specimens which were collected 
in Monterey Bay. 

The external color is yellowish brown ; but within 
it is of the purest white. The common length of 
one of these shells is three inches, though some of 
them grow to twice that length, and thus rank as one 
of our largest shells. 

At this point, mention should be made of the rare 
Priene Oregonensis, Redf., which has a large, elon- 
gated, thin shell, with distinct, rounded whorls and 
a short canal. It is of a light color, and is covered 
with a hairy epidermis. Its home, as the name indi- 
cates, is on the northern coast. 




Fig. 24. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Bad Habits of the Natica Family— Lunatia and Xeve- 
rita — The Southern Sigaretus — Tamellaria and 
the Velvet Shell — Triforis — Dextral and Sinis- 
tral Shells — Cerithiopsis — The White Opalia and 
ScALARiA — The Shining Eulima. 

FIGURE 25 represents the big Moon-shell, Lunatia 
Lewisii, Gld., Lu-na'-shi-a Lew-is'-i-i. It is a repre- 
sentative of the Natica 
family, all the members of 
which are distinguished by 
their ferocious nature, and 
might well be called Snails 
of Prey. 

Plowing along through 
the wet sand by means of its 
enormous foot, it no sooner 
reaches an unfortunate 
clam, than the flint drill 
which it carries in its mouth 
is stretched out and begins 
to accomplish its work of destruction. The helpless 
clam has no means of flight from such an enemy; and 
if its hard shell is not a sufficient protection, it is in 
a sad case indeed. And in truth, the case is sad, for 
the shell is no match for the drill, and when once it 
has reached the savory meat inside, the robber makes 




Fig. 25. 



46 THE NATICAS. 

short work of his victim. A high-handed proceed- 
ing, no doubt ; but then, it contrasts rather favorably 
with our way of opening clams and oysters. 

The size of this shell varies greatly with its age 
and conditions. Specimens have been found as large 
as six-inch globes, but such giants are not common. 
They are ordinarily the size of average apples. The 
color is yellowish w^hite and the form, spheroidal ; the 
surface is nearly smooth, the operculum horny, and 
the umbilicus large. This figure was drawn from a 
specimen collected at Olympia, Washington Terri- 
tory. 

A somewhat similiar species, which also lives in 
northern waters, may be distinguished by its closed 
umbilicus and shelly operculum. Its name is Natica 
clausa, Brod. and Sby., Nat'-i-ca clau'-sa. 

Neverita Reclnziana, Petit, Ne-ver'-i-ta Re-cluz-i- 
an'-a, shown in Fig. 26, is a southern species, more 

smooth and less globular than 
the last, and is easily deter- 
mined by the thick, heavy 
patch of enamel which extends 
down the columella, and nearly 
or quite fills the umbilicus. 
The shell is very solid and 
strong. In color it varies 
between brown and white. Its 
average length is perhaps two 
inches, though many specimens are smaller. 

The last three species, all of which belong to the 
Natica family, have strong, heavy shells, and grow 
to a large size. A very pretty shell belonging to the 
same family is probably found occasionally on our 
southern coast, though its real home is still farther 




LAMELLARIA. 47 

to the south. Its name is Sigaretus debilis, Sig-a- 
re'-tus deb'-i-lis. It is pure white, very flat, and has 
a small spire but a very large aperture. Its breadth 
is about an inch. 

Somewhat resembling this last shell, but smaller, 
is the one shown in Fig. 27, named Lamellaria 
Stearnsii, Dall, Iyam-el-la'-ri-a Sterns'-i-i. 
It is pure white, very thin, and has so large an 
aperture that the interior of the shell is plainly 
Fig. 27. yjgiy^ jt s "breadth is about half an inch. 
In this species, as well as in the next one to be de- 
scribed, the thin shell is wholly concealed by the large 
development of the mantle. 

The little Velvet Shell is represented in Fig. 
28. It belongs to the same species that lives on the 
coast of Great Britain, and its name is Velutina 
Iczvigata, Linn., Vel-u-ti'-na lev-i-ga'-ta. You will 
notice that it is one of the few of our species which 
received its name from the great Swedish naturalist, 
Linne, and the reason for this fact is obvious. As 
shown in the figure, the spire is short, the 
outer lip thin, and the aperture large and 
nearly circular. The color is light brown, 
F - 28 and the size is about that of a pea. It derives 
its name from the velvet-like epidermis which, 
in fresh specimens, covers the shell. It is a northern 
species, and is found along the shores of Puget Sound 
and the adjacent regions. 

Triforis adversa, Mont., Trif-o-ris ad-ver'-sa, is a 
little mollusk, having a minute, spire-shaped, niauy- 
whorled shell, the surface of which is reticulated or 
netted, and the aperture of which is small. 

There is one peculiarity about this shell which 
makes it differ from any of those which we have 



48 SINISTRAL SHELLS. 

thus far studied. You notice in nearly all the cuts 
that when the apex is uppermost, as it should be, the 
aperture is on the side next to your right hand. All 
such shells are said to be right-handed or dextral 
shells. Our little Triforis, however, has the aperture 
upon the left side and is said to be left-handed or 
sinistral. As this little brown shell is less than one- 
fourth of an inch long, a picture would have to be 
magnified a good deal to show its form plainly, but 
you will see examples of sinistral shells in Fig. 107 
and Fig. 108. There are some whole genera of mol- 
lusks which have sinistral shells, particularly the 
Physas, which are the fresh water snails so common 
in all little brooks. In some few species part of the 
specimens are dextral and part are sinistral, but, as a 
rule, left-handed shells are rare and quickly excite 
remark. 

Cerithiopsis tuberculata, Mont., Se-rith-i-op'-sis tu- 

ber-cu-la'-ta, is much like the last species in its 

general appearance, though it is larger and its shell 

is dextral, as shown in Fig. 29. The spire 

consists of six or seven whorls, the spire is 

tuberculated or covered with little projections, 

and the sutures are conspicuous. The color is 

FigTaq. dark brown, and the length is from one-fourth 

to one-half of an inch. 

Cerithiopsis columna, Cpr. , col-um'-na, has a shell 
of ten whorls ; in form it is slender, its sutures are 
inconspicuous, and "the nodules are close, like 
strung figs" (Cpr.). Its color is light brown, and its 
size is the same as that of the last species. 

A southern species should also be mentioned, 
Cerithiopsis assimilata, C. B. Adams, as-sim-i-la'-ta. 
In size and color it is like the last species, but it is 




THE WHITE STAIRCASE. 49 

marked by strong spiral ridges, winding from the apex 
to the aperture. 

It is now our pleasant task to consider a few species 
of pure white shells regularly marked with frequent 
varices. All of them are quite rare, but if you search 
along the shore you will probably have the good for- 
tune to find one or more of them. 

The first one of the group is shown in Fig. 30, and 
is known as Opalia borealis, Gld., O-pa'- 
li-a bo-re-a'-lis, or the Northern Opalia. 
The shell consists almost wholly of the 
spire, which is composed of about eight 
whorls, and each of these is crossed by 
eight blunt ridges. The aperture is entire, 
and the rounded lips are sometimes stained 
by the rich purple juices of the animal. 
Fig-. 30. The operculum is a brown scale, nearly 
circular, and showing lines of growth. The color of 
the shell is white, and its length is about an inch. 

Opalia crenatotdes, Cpr., cren-a-toi'-des, is smaller 
and blunter than borealis. The ridges are less con- 
spicuous except at the sutures. According to Mr. 
Carpenter, there are " sutural holes behind the basal 
rib. M 

In Fig. 31 is shown the beautiful shell of Scalar ia 
Hindsii, Cpr., Ska-la'-ri-a Hinds'-i-i. It is 
pure white, very delicate, and is generally 
less than one inch in length. The whorls 
are very distinct, finely rounded, and each 
one is crossed by about twelve thin, sharp 
Fig. 31. ridges. 
These shells are so highly prized that they are some- 
times worn as the drops of ear-rings, while a foreign 
specimen, the great Chinese Scalaria or Wentle-trap, 



5<3 EUUMA. 

used to be so rare and so highly prized that most 
extravagant prices were paid for a specimen. So 
greatly were they desired, and so seldom were they 
found, that the Chinese, it is said, made very perfect 
imitations of these precious shells from a preparation 
of rice. Beware of counterfeits ! 

Scalaria Indianorum, Cpr., In-di-an-o'-rum, is a 
northern species, very similar to Hindsii, which is 
found more at the south. Its shell is rather less 
tapering, and it is sometimes tinted. 

Eulima micans, Cpr., Eu-li'-ma mi'-kans, Fig. 32, 

comes next on our list. This species has a beautifully 

polished, slender, spiral shell, with a very 

sharp apex and an elongated aperture. Its 

surface is bluish white and glistening, as its 

name indicates. Its length is commonly less 

than half an inch. 

Fig. 32. Eulima rutila, Cpr. , ru'-ti-la, is like the 

last species, but very small and slender. Its color is 

rosy, and the base of the shell is lengthened. 

Every one of this group of shells possesses a pecu- 
liar beauty; and whether we examine the white Opalia, 
the sculptured Stair-case shell, or the polished Euli- 
ma, we shall be struck with the evident regularity of 
its parts, and the beautiful plan upon which it is con- 
structed. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

A Group of Minute Shells — Why Mentioned — The 
Chemnttzias, or Minute Spire-Shells — The Best 
Way to Determine Such Specimens — The Odosto- 

MIAS AND THE ObELISK-ShELL — THE CALIFORNIA CONE 

— Mitromorpha and Mangelia — Shells Marked 
by a Notch in the Outer Lip — Our Rarest Shell. 

WE are now to consider a group of shells, several 
of which are so very small that they would 
scarcely be noticed by any one who was not looking 
sharply for just such specimens. 

But though they are so very minute, still there 
are two reasons why I wish to mention most of 
them ; first, that the shells may be recognized from 
the descriptions, so far as possible; and secondly, that 
names which are already known may be compared 
with what is here said of the species, that thus they 
may be verified. 

The first species of these little mollusks is named 
Chemnitzia torquata, Gld., Chem-nitz'-i-a tor-qua'-ta, 
showing clearly that names and dimensions do not 
necessarily agree. 

The shell is so small that it would scarcely be no- 
ticed, yet when examined under the microscope it is 
very beautiful. 

It consists of a very slender, many-whorled spire, 
with deep sutures and numerous and delicate cross- 
ribs. Its color is white, and the whole length of the 
shell is less than a quarter of an inch. 



5 2 THE LITTLE SHELLS. 

Chemnitzia castanea, Cpr., cas-tan'-e-a, is repre- 
sented in Fig. 33. The shell is somewhat 
larger than that of the last, and is of a chestnut 
color, as the name indicates. Its eight or ten 
whorls are marked with numerous fine ribs, 
and though so small, it is a beautiful shell. 
Fig. 33. Chemnitzia tenuicula, Gld., ten-u-ic'-u-la, 
is another representative of the genus which was 
named for the scholarly Chemnitz. It is a southern 
species, has flattened whorls, and is marked with fine 
and crowded ribs. Color, brownish ; length, one- 
fourth of an inch. 

Dunkeria laminata, Cpr., Dun-ker'-i-a lam-in-a'-ta, 
is the name of another similar mollusk belonging to 
a sub-genus of Chemnitzia. 

Its shell is similar in size and color to that of the 
last species, but its eight whorls are more rounded 
and more finely cancellated. 

Oscilla insculpta^ Cpr. , Os-sil'-la in-skulp ; -ta, is very 
minute and has a spire-shaped shell, the five whorls 
of which are marked by a few strong spiral ridges. 
Whitish ; length, one-eighth of an inch. 

Miralda qninqnecincta, Cpr., Mi-ral'-da quin-que- 
sink'-ta, Five-banded Miralda. The little shell is of 
the same size and color as the last. The sutures are 
distinct, and the flat whorls are marked by a few 
strong spiral bands and many minute cross-ribs. 

The list of these graceful but inconspicuous crea- 
tures is not yet complete, for, closely following, we 
have Evalea tennisculpta, Cpr., E-va'-le-a ten-u-i- 
sculp'-ta, with its white, few-whorled, nearly smooth 
shell, a little over one-eighth of an inch long ; and 
its sister, Evalea graciliente, Cpr., gra-sil-i-en'-te, 



MICROSCOPIC WORK. 53 

which is very minute, whitish, few-whorled and 
lightly cancellated. 

For examining such shells a good lens is quite in- 
dispensable, but in the hands of more advanced 
students the minute specimens are full of interest. 

To determine the features and differences of the 
several genera of these microscopic mollusks, one 
should consult some recent work on conchology; 
while to make sure of the correct specific name, the 
most satisfactory way is to compare them with 
authentic specimens in some good museum, or send 
send them for determination to some one who has 
such a collection at hand. 

We will now leave these slender, spire-shaped shells 
and consider the Odostomias. The shells of this genus 
are white, and are less slender in form than those of 
the last group. They have few whorls, and on the 
columella is a fold like a tooth, on account of which 
they received this name, which is derived from the 
Greek words for tooth and mouth. They are fre- 
quently found nestling upon large shells like those of 
the oyster and the abalone. 

Odostomia injlata, Cpr., O-dos-to'-mi-a in-fla'-ta, 
has a minute white shell composed of four whorls, 
and is about one-eighth of an inch in length. 

Odostomia Gouldtz] Cpr., is similar to the last 
species, and is probably only a variety. It is very 
small and has u a gently-rounded base" (Cpr.). 

Odostomia gravida, Gld., grav'-i-da, has a shell 
minute, thin, and somewhat more slender than that of 
the last mentioned. It is made up of five whorls. 

Odostomia nuciformis, Cpr., nu-si-for'-mis, conies 
next with a shell white, solid, and having a large body 



54 ODOSTOMIA. 

whorl. Sometimes the shell grows to the length of 
one-fourth of an inch or even more. 

4 0dostomia satura, Cpr., sa-tu'-ra, is shown in 

Fig. 34. The shell is beautifully white and 
pure, and less solid than that of the last species. 
The sutures are very distinct, and the whorls 

Fig. 34. J I 

are checked with a microscopic network of ex- 
tremely fine lines. It is one-fourth of an inch long. 

Obeliscus variegatns, Cpr. , the shell of which is 

shown in Fig. 35, is now believed to be identical 

with the Pyramidella conica of C. B. Adams, 

Py-ram-i-del'-la con'-i-ca. Both names savor of 

ancient Egypt. It has a perfectly conical, 

tapering shell, composed of about ten whorls. 

There is a fold on the columella as in the Odos- 

lgo> tomias. The color is brownish, somewhat 

clouded, and the length is half an inch. It is found 

in southern waters, but is quite rare even there. 

Mumiola cincta, Cpr. , Mu-mi-o'-la sink'-ta. Shell 
minute, white, few-whorled, having the surface dis- 
tinctly sculptured or cancellated. Most of the similar 
species are smooth. This completes our list of these 
minute shells. 

We turn now to a very distinct and well-marked 
species, Conns Californicus, Hds., Ko'- 
nus Cal-i-for'-ni-cus. Fig. 36 shows the 
appearance of a large specimen. This 
is our only representative of the great 
Cone family which has so many beau- 
tiful examples in the tropical waters of 
the Pacific and the Indian oceans. 

Our little species is very humble, 

being about an inch in length, of a 

Fig.36. chestnut color, with a smooth surface, 




THE CALIFORNIA CONE. 55 

though it may occasionally be found covered with 
a hairy epidermis. Living shells are rare, but dead 
ones may frequently be found, particularly on the 
southern coasts. 

There is a little black shell named Mitromorpha 
Jilosa, Cpr., Mi-tro-mor'-fa fil-o'-sa, and this name 
tells us that it has the form of the Miter Shells, and 
that its surface is threaded. Please look back to Fig. 
22 and you will find its shape, pointed at both ends 
and largest in the middle ; and if you examine it with 
a lens you will see that it is distinctly marked by 
many spiral lines. Its length is only a quarter of an 
inch. 

Mitromorpha aspersa, Cpr., as-per'-sa, is even 
smaller than the above, but it has a brownish surface 
marked with a very distinct, sieve-like network of 
fine lines. 

Mangelia striosa ) C. B.Adams, Man-je'-li-a stri-o'- 
sa, is a rare southern species with less sculpture than 
the next, but otherwise resembling that shell, which 
is known as Mangelia merita, Gld., mer'-i-ta, and 
which is shown in Fig. 37. 

The whorls are six in number, the aperture 
long, and the surface of the shell is marked by 
high cross ridges and fine spiral lines. Notice 
the notch in the outer lip where it joins the 
body whorl. Color, white ; length, from one- 
Fig 37 fourth to one-half of an inch. 

Mangelia angulata, Cpr., an-gu-la'-ta, is 
similar to the last, but is of a brown color, with broad 
and angular whorls. 

Three larger shells next present themselves for our 
examination. Each of them is slender and spindle- 
shaped, and each has a notch in the outer lip. 



56 



DRILLIA. 




The first one is the Pencilled Drillia, Drillia peni- 
cillata, Cpr., Dril'-li-a pen-i-sil-la'-ta. A picture of 
this graceful shell is shown in Fig. 38. 
The spire consists of eight slender whorls ; 
the aperture is long, and the surface is 
smooth, brownish, and marked by very 
delicate cross-lines of color. Length, an 
inch and a half ; southern. 

Drillia toi'osa, Cpr. , to-ro'-sa 
Fig. 39, is found farther to the 
north. It is rather less grace- 
ful than its southern relative, 
and is somewhat smaller, also. 
The surface is almost black, but 
each whorl is marked by a spiral row of 
lighter-colored knobs. Fig. 39. 

The third species, Di'illia mcesta, Cpr., me'-sta, 
resembles the last, but the whorls have cross-ribs 
instead of knobs. The body-whorl, however, is 
nearly smooth. Color, brown or olive ; length, one 
inch ; southern. Said to be found under stones, 
between tides. 

Myurella simplex, Cpr., My-u-rel'-la sim'-plex, 
Fig. 40, is another southern mollusk, having a very 
pretty, slender, conical shell. The spire winds grace- 
fully upward, and ends in a sharp point at 
the apex ; while at the other end of the shell 
the aperture is small, and ends in a short, 
recurved canal. Following the sutures is a 
spiral thread of beads, which adds much to 
the attractiveness of the shell. The length 
is an inch or more, the whorls are about 
twelve in number, and the color is whitish or 
Fig. 40. brown. 



THE FRONTISPIECE. 57 

Fig. 41 (Frontispiece) represents one of the rarest 
as well as one of the most beautiful of all the marine 
species of our West coast. The specimen from which 
this figure was drawn was obtained from deep water 
in Monterey bay. 

The shell is spindle-shaped, with a conical spire 
which slopes with the utmost grace to the apex, a 
long aperture, and an outer lip which has the char- 
acteristic notch near its junction with the whorl. 
The shell is marked with many fine lines of growth, 
each of which retains the peculiar notch. The color 
is a rich, brownish yellow, diversified by several 
narrow bands of reddish brown. Its entire length 
is nearly three inches. Lastly, its name is Surcula . 
Carpenteriana, Gabb, pronounced, Sur'-cu-la Car- 
pen-te-ri-an'-a. I sincerely trust that many of my 
readers may some day see and admire one of these 
beautiful shells ; but even from the figure, you will 
notice its peculiar gracefulness of form. When we 
see one of these rare and pleasing creations which 
has been brought up from the depths of the ocean, 
how forcibly the lines of Gray come back to us : 

" Full many a pearl, of purest ray serene, 
The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear.'' 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Red Pedicularia and the Brown Cowry — Other 
Cowries — Live Shells and Dead Shells — The 
Coffee-bean Shell — The Bratos — Ovulum — Diala 
— Fresh- Water Shells, Including Valvata, Flumi- 
nicola, and some others. 

ON February ist, 1864, Dr. Newcomb described a 
little shell which, up to that time, had been found 
in but very small numbers. The name which he 
then applied was Pedicularia Californica, Newc, 
Pe-dik-u-la'-ri-a Cal-i-for'-ni-ca. An enlarged repre- 
sentation is shown in Fig. 42, from which you will 
see that the aperture and the outer lip are greatly- 
extended, and that the spire is completely 
hidden. The inside of the shell is smooth 
@I|f/ and glossy, but the outside is slightly rough. 
By the aid of a microscope, one is greatly 
Fig. 42. pleased to see a fine system of minute lines 
and meshes. 

Its color is peculiar for our shells, being a rich, 
rosy pink, far more beautiful than that of the famous 
" Peach-blow Vase. " During the past twenty years 
a considerable number of these little red shells have 
been found, but they are still rare, and are gathered 
almost wholly from corals and sea-fans which are 
brought up from tolerably deep water. When fully 
grown the shell is nearly half an inch in length. 

Another fine shell of our coast is the Brown Cowry, 
shown in Fig. 43. Its scientific name is Luponia 





THE COWRIES. 59 

spadicea, Gray, L/U-po'-ni-a spa-dis'-e-a. So distinct 
is it from all other species, that it would 
surely be recognized by one who is at 
all familiar with its form and color. 
In fact, it is our chief representative 
of the great genus Cyprcza, which is 
so finely represented in the warmer 
oceans. Most of the Cowries live in 
the South Pacific and Indian oceans, 
and some of the smaller species are used 
as money by the natives of adjacent 
^g. 43. islands and countries. Specimens of 

the large spotted Tiger Cowry may be found in 
almost every house in our country, and what well- 
bred baby has not enjoyed playing with a Cowry- 
shell? 

When young, the Cowries have thin, conical shells, 
with a short spire and a large aperture. As time 
goes on, the outer lip increases in size and thickness, 
while the spire often becomes completely hidden 
under the advancing whorls. 

Our Cowry has a slightly curved aperture as long 
as the shell, and the lips are set with numerous teeth. 
These lips are white, but the back of the shell is 
marked with a ring of dark brown, while the central 
part is of a lighter shade. 

Live shells of this species are bright and glossy, 
while dead ones are dull and lustreless. By live 
shells are meant those which were gathered when the 
living animal was inside, and from which it has been 
removed by artificial means. These are always more 
perfect than dead specimens, by which we mean the 
empty shells that we pick up along the shore, and 
which are usuallv somewhat defaced. 




60 TRIVIA AND ERATO. 

Full-grown specimens of our Cowry are two inches 
in length. They live chiefly on the coast of southern 
California, and while they are quite rare as a rule, 
they have been found in considerable numbers, living 
with the large mussel, Modiola modiolus, which is of 
a similar color, and may thus serve as a protection. 

The little Trivia Californica, Gray, Triv'-i-a Cal-i- 
for'-ni-ca, two views of which are shown in Fig. 44, 
is sometimes knowm as the Coffee-bean shell, and its 
size and appearance warrant this name. 
On one side it is flat, while the other side 
is very plump and full. The surface is 
Fig. 44^ marked by about a dozen sharp ribs, and 
the long, narrow aperture is set with many small 
teeth. The general color of the shell is a reddish 
chocolate, though the interior is white. 

These shells are quite rare, but may occasionally 
be picked up on the beach. They are so highly 
prized that they are sometimes worn as jewels. The 
length of a shell is from one-fourth to one-half of an 
inch. 

Trivia Solandri, Gray, is found on the shores 
of Lower California, and reaches as far north as the 
vicinity of Santa Barbara. It resembles the last 
species, but is twice as large, and is marked by a 
deep longitudinal channel on the back of the shell. 
Somewhat resembling the Cowries, but 
more pear-shaped, are the Eratos, of which 
we have two species. The larger one is 
named Erato vitellina, Hds., E-ra'-to vit- 
el-li'-na, and its shell is shown in Fig. 45. 
Fig- 45- it is about half an inch in length, quite 
smooth, and has a large aperture and a thickened 
outer lip. The short spire is almost concealed by 




THE PINK OVULUM. 6 1 

the strong body-whorl, which is chestnut-brown 
along the back, but white near the toothed margin 
of the aperture. 

Dead shells of this species may occasionally be 
found along the shore, and if one is very watchful, 
he may sometimes find a specimen, also, of the 
little Erato columbella, Mke., col-um-bel'-la, 
shown in Fig. 46. It is so small and delicate, 
however, that one may be pardoned for over- 
Flg ' 46 ' looking so minute a shell. As shown in the 
figure, it has a visible, though very short spire, and a 
long aperture with finely-toothed margins ; its length 
is not more than one-fourth of an inch. The lips 
are white, and the back is olive. It has been dredged 
from a depth of from twenty to forty fathoms. 

Still more rare along the shore, but occasionally 
brought up by the fishermen from deep water, is the 
peculiar shell represented in Fig. 47, and 
whose name is Ovuliun formicarmm, Sowb. , 
O'-vu-lum for-mi-ca'-ri-um. 

In appearance it is unique, looking more 

like a roll of shell than like a spiral whorl, 

and tapering almost equally toward either 

Fig. 47. end. The aperture is very long, the outer 

lip thickened, the spire concealed, and the sculpturing 

microscopic. The color is pink, and the length is 

rather less than an inch. 

Now we must turn for a few minutes and examine 
a few very small shells, one of the smallest of which 
is Diala marmorea, Cpr., Di-a'-la mar-mo'-re-a. Its 
shell is minute, conical, six-whorled, solid and glossy. 
It is of a brownish color, clouded with red, and the 
aperture is nearly circular. The length is only one- 
eighth of an inch. 



62 FRESH-WATER SPECIES. 

Diala acuta, Cpr. , is similar, but has a flattened, 
sharply-angled base. Both of these species live in the 
sea. 

Ti r uncatella Californica, Pfr., Trun-ka-tel'-la, lives 
about salt marshes, though it may also be found upon 
sea-weed and under stones. The shell is less than 
one-fourth of an inch long, and is nearly cylindrical, 
with distinct sutures between the whorls. The aper- 
ture is small and circular, the operculum horny, the 
color light brown, and the surface smooth. 

Similar to this, but having a more solid shell, is 
Trnncatella Stimpsonii, Stearns. The whorls of this 
shell are crossed by numerous fine ridges. 

Valvata sincera, Say., Val-va'-ta sin-se'-ra, is a 
fresh-water species. And thus we turn away from 
the sea and all its abounding life, to the lakes and 
rivers. Sometimes, as in this case, we shall travel 
far inland ; for the specimen before me came from 
Franklin, Idaho. It is a minute, flattened, spiral 
shell, one-eighth of an inch across, consisting of 
three whorls, which circle around a distinct umbili- 
cus. The aperture and the operculum are circular, 
and the color is greenish. 

Valvata virens, Tryon, vi'-rens, is shown in Fig. 

48. It is turban-shaped, bright green in color, 

and its breadth is less than one-fourth of an 

inch. The specimen from which the figure 

was drawn came from Clear lake, California. 

Fig. 48. Fig. 49 represents the shell of Fluminicola 

fusca, Hald. , Flu-min-ick'-o-la fus'-ka. This 

name, translated into English, means the 

Tawny River-dweller. 

The shells of this species are about the 
Fig. 49. size of peas, quite solid, and have a short, 



RIVER SHELLS. 63 

three- whorled spire. The aperture is oval, the outer 
lip sharp, the operculum horny, and the color is 
greenish. The specimen before me came from Malad 
river, Utah. 

Fluminicola Hindsii, Baird, is similar in size to the 
last. The spire is short, and is frequently eroded 
by the acids found in river water. Without, the shell 
is of a dark brown color, but it is a bluish white 
within. From the Willamette river, Oregon. 

Fluminicola virens, Lea, is similar to the last, and 
is found in Oregon. The shell is remarkably thick, 
the aperture ovate, and the whorls rather inflated. 

Fluminicola Nuttalliana, Lea, is represented in 
Fig. 50. Longer and more slender than the last, 
species, few whorled, and often with the spire 
eroded at the top. Greenish brown without, 
whitish within; operculum thin. The shell 
is from one-fourth to one-half an inch in 

Fig. 50. length. The variety Columbiana, Hemphill, 
is more rounded, with a shorter spire. This species 
is found in the rivers of Oregon and Washington. 

Potamiopsis intermedia, Tryon, Po-tam-i-op'-sis 
in-ter-me'-di-a, has a minute shell, resembling the 
last figure, but more slender, and is less than one- 
fourth of an inch in length; the aperture is nearly 
circular, The specimen was collected at White Pine, 
Nevada. 

Amnicola longinqua, Gld., Am-nik'-o-la lon-gin'- 
qua. This shell comes from Utah. The shell is thin 
and umbilicated, the body-whorl full, the spire short, 
and the suture distinct. The color is greenish, and 
the length is only one-eighth of an inch. 



CHAPTER X. 

Our Return to the Ocean— The Haliotis-Lovers— The 
Little Risso Shells — Is apis, Lacuna, Etc. — How to 
Study Minute Shells — The Shells Upon the Rocks 
— The Three Littorines — The River Shell of Ore- 
gon — Its Relatives in California. 

A WAY from the ponds and rivers, and back to the 
jl\. ocean's rocky shore we must now hasten, and take 
out our magnifying glasses once more; for we are now 
to look for some of the smallest shells that are to be 
found anywhere. 

Perhaps we shall be fortunate enough to find a big 
Abalone or Haliotis, as we ought to call it. It has a 
broad, flat shell, larger than your hand, and on the 
back of this shell are growing tufts of coralline , sea- 
weed, and fringes of moss. Now we will search 
more carefully, and in the little crevices of the shell 
and among the bits of seaweed we may find a colony 
of little mollusks, having simple, conical shells, about 
one-eighth of an inch in length. They are quite 
slender, of a brownish color, few-whorled, and have 
only a small aperture. Following Dr. Carpenter, to 
whom we owe so much for his investigations on the 
shells of this coast, we will call this little mollusk 
that seems to love the Haliotis, Barleeia halzottfthtla, 
Cpr., Bar-lee'-ya hal-i-o-tif-i-la. 



MINUTE SHELLS. 65 

Another similar shell from San Diego is named 
Barleeia subtenuts, Cpr., sub-ten'-u-is. It is some- 
what larger and less slender, and is sometimes found 
on grass. 

Alvania czqiiisciilpta, Cpr., Al-van'-i-a e-qui-sculp'- 
ta, has a shell, minute, slender, and coarsely cancel- 
lated. The spire is five-whorled, and the aperture 
is circular and entire. Its color is white, and its 
length is only one-eighth of an inch. 

Rissoa acutelirata, Cpr., Ris'-so-a a-ku-te-li-ra'-ta, 
resembles the last species, but is even smaller. It is 
brownish and very beautifully marked by numerous 
fine ribs and lines, which are clearly brought out by 
a lens. 

Rissoina interfossa, Cpr., Ris-so-i'-na in-ter-fos'-sa, 
has a slender, sharply conical shell. The seven or 
eight whorls are cut into squares by a few bold, spiral 
ridges, which are crossed by numerous ribs. The 
aperture is quite small, oval, and notched at the base. 
The shell is white, and its length is over one-fourth 
of an inch. 

Clathurella interclathrata, Cpr., is smaller and 
more slender than the last. The brown surface 
is cancellated, and the aperture is distinctly notched. 

Isapis obtusa, Cpr., I-sa'-pis ob-tu'-sa, has a round- 
ish little shell, less than a quarter of an inch in 
length. The aperture is oval, and the outer lip is 
marked by scallops, while the general surface is 
diversified by shallow spiral grooves. The spire is 
small and few-whorled ; the color is light brown. 

Isapis fenestratct, Cpr., fe-nes-tra'-ta, much resem- 
bles the last, but is marked by sharp spiral ridges. 

Three little shells next engage our attention, and 
call for a brief explanation of their common name. 

(5) 



66 THE CHINK-SHELL. 

The first one, shown in Fig. 51, is Lacuna unifasciata, 
Cpr. , La-ku'-na u-ni-fas-si-a'-ta. This some- 

yt what lengthy name may be freely translated, 

™ the One-banded Chink-shell. It is a very 
Fig. 51. little thing, about one-sixth of an inch in 
length, and consists of but few whorls. It is brown 
and glossy, with the color broken into dots on the 
keel of the body-whorl. The aperture is semi-lunar, 
and the flattened columella has a small umbilical 
fissure, from which circumstance it is called the 
Lacuna, or Chink-shell. It is worth looking for, 
and can often be found on sandy beaches. 

Lacuna solidula, Lov. , so-lid'-u-la, is a northern 
species, and has a shell sometimes half an inch in 
length, though often it is of less size. It is three- 
whorled, strong, smooth, with small umbilicus, brown 
surface and white columella. 

Lacuna porrecta, Cpr., por-rek'-ta, resembles Fig. 
51, but is broader and more compact. It is found on 
kelp. 

Paludinella Newcombiana, Hemphill, has four dis- 
tinct, rounded whorls. The shell is thin, smooth, 
and is covered by a brown epidermis. The aperture 
is nearly circular. The length is one-fourth of an 
inch or less. My specimen is from Humboldt bay. 

Assiminea Califomica, Cooper, As-si-min'-e-a Cal- 
i-for'-ni-ca, has a shell rounded, thin and brown. 
The spire is short and conical, and the whole shell is 
less than one-eighth of an inch long. This species 
may be said to be almost amphibious, living much of 
the time out of water. Specimens have been gathered 
near Oakland, California. 

Such an array of minute, uncommon shells as the 
past few pages have presented may make the timid 



ENCOURAGEMENT. 6j 

student lose heart, and say that the study of mollusks 
is too difficult a subject to be engaged in by any one 
who is not an enthusiast or a prodigy. Shells only 
an eighth of an inch in length, and rare at that, are 
hardly worth the seeking, I fear some one is saying. 
Well, do not be discouraged, nor leave off the study 
on this account. All these little creatures live in the 
great ocean, and all deserve mention ; for some one 
will find them and wish to know what they are. If 
from this book you can learn the probable names, the 
larger works will give you information respecting the 
genera, and will enable you to study their relation- 
ships and affinities. 

But if you neither have time to look up the little . 
shells, nor opportunity to study about them in the big 
books, you can surely find some of the shells which 
I am about to describe. 

When you went to the seacoast, and climbed among 
the rocks where the waves were throwing up their 
spray as the tide came in, you surely saw numbers of 
dark-colored shells about the size of peas. You found 
them in the cracks of the rocks, along their sides, 
and concealed in every little nook and cranny. Their 
shells are dull — somewhat like the rocks themselves ; 
the apertures are closed with horny opercula, and the 
animals seem to be asleep. But put some of them 
into a jar of sea- water, and in a little while the little 
black snails come creeping out, and begin to work 
their way up into the air again. 

These little Iyittorines, as we will call them, are 
the first mollusks we meet as we go down to the 
shore. The upper part of the beach is known as the 
littoral region, so you see how the mollusks get the 
name of Littorine. They live out of the water most 




68 THE UTTORINES. 

of time, and, except at high tide, they can always be 
found upon the rocks along the shore. Each of the 
little shells has a small spire of a few w T horls, an 
entire aperture, a sharp outer lip, and a thin, horny 
operculum. 

Our first species, Littornia scutulata, Gld., Lit-to- 
ri-iia sku-tu-la'-ta, is shown in Fig. 52. The com- 
mon name is, or ought to be, Checkered Lit- 
torine, for that is what the Latin name means. 
The shell varies in color from black to almost 
white, but is usually of a greenish gray, with 
more or less white bands or checks. Within 
Fig. 52. the aperture, the shell has a purple tint Its 
length is from one-fourth to one-half of an inch, and 
sometimes you find specimens even larger. 

Littorina planaxis, Nutt., plan-ax'-is, Gray Littor- 
ine, is shown in Fig. 53. This species has a some- 
what larger shell than the last, and is 
easily distinguished by the flattened col- 
umella, which seems to be dissolved away 
by the animal in advance of the growing 
whorl. The shells of this species are more 
Fig. 53. rounded, and less finely colored than those 
of the last species, but the two are often found closely 
associated. 

The third Iyittorine, which is found in northern 
waters, is named Littorina rudis, Don., m/-dis, or 
Rough Littorine. The shell of this bold northener, 
in form and size, greatly resembles a large pea. It is 
easily distinguished from planaxis by its rounded 
columella, while its general surface, instead of being 
nearly smooth, as in the last two species, is marked 
by a good number of more or less developed spiral 





RIVER SHELLS. 69 

ridges. Its color varies from white to black, but it is 
usually of a yellowish brown. 

And now, since we have filled our lungs with fresh 
sea air, and have collected lyittorines to our heart's 
content, we will vary our shell-gathering 
journey a little, by taking a hasty trip 
inland, and strolling along the rivers of Ore- 
gon. Here we shall find abundant speci- 
mens of the Plaited River shell, Goniobasis 
plicifera, Iyea, Gon-i-ob'-a-sis pli-sif-e-ra. A 
good illustration of this shell is shown in 
Fig. 54. Fig. 54, in which you see the general shape, 
and the average size of the shell. But there are 
many varieties of this species, which vary slightly 
from one another, yet which are very similar in all 
essential particulars. Several of these varieties have 
been described under different names, but this should 
not puzzle the student. 

The shell of a perfect specimen is a long, slender 
cone, though the first whorl or two may be missing, 
and thus change the cone into a frustrum. The later 
whorls are nearly smooth, but the earlier ones are 
marked by folds, or plications, the presence of which 
suggested the name plicifera. The aperture is ovate 
and entire; the color of the shell is greenish black, 
and its length is an inch or less. Many specimens 
come from the vicinity of Salem, Oregon. 

Goniobasis nigrina, L,ea, ni-gri'-na, Fig. 55, is a 
California shell,with numerous smooth, rounded 
whorls. It is rather smaller than the last spe- 
cies, but is of the same color. 

Goniobasis occata, Hds., ok-ka'-ta, is from the 
Fig.^. San Joaquin river. In general form, as well as 
in size and color, it resembles the preceding species, 



JO RIVER SHELLS. 

but the whorls are marked by many sharp, roughened 
spiral ridges. The Latin word occata means har- 
rowed, hence the application of the term to this shell 
is evident. 

Several shells of similar shape, but which abide in 
salt water, will be considered in the next chapter. 



CHAPTER XL 

Adventures with My First Shell — Nature of the Horn 
Shells— Advice About Preparation — The Bittiums 
— Tower Shell — Cecum and Serpulorbis— The 
horse-hooes and the slipper shells — the spiny 
Cup-and-Saucer Limpet. 

r Y first opportunity to gather any of the shells 

1V1 which are described in this book occurred a 

good many years ago. The place was a 

shallow arm of San Francisco bay, and the 

shell was the one shown in Fig. 56. I 

shall never forget the pleasure I felt, as I 

saw them lying by dozens and hundreds on 

the surface of the mud, after the tide had 

gone down. They seemed to be enjoying 

the fresh air, and were in no hurry for the 

Fig. 56. return of the tide. Similar species, in 

other countries, spend so much time in the air that 

they have been mistaken for land shells. 

As they were my first shells, and I was ignorant of 
their name, I sent a few to the Smithsonian Institu- 
tion to be identified. The name proved to be CcritJi- 
idea sacrata, Gld., Se-ri-thid'-e-a sa-cra'-ta. In com- 
mon words we may call them Horn Shells. 

But I was as ignorant about the proper care of the 
shells as concerning their name, and a pretty source 
of trouble they were to me. The animals soon died, 




72 BITTIUM. 

and my crude attempts to remove them from the 
shells were instructive, if not entertaining. To pre- 
vent any other young collector from getting into the 
same troubles, I would advise that after prompt boil- 
ing, all the soft parts be removed by a pin or bent 
wire. In shells of this shape, a complete removal of 
the perishable parts is often very difficult. In such 
cases, remove all that you can, and then securely plug 
the hole with cotton, and attach the operculum to the 
cotton by a drop of glue. 

This shell is commonly an inch or more in length, 
and consists of about ten strongly ribbed whorls. The 
outside is dull and black, but the inside is of a glossy 
brown. The aperture is entire and nearly circular, 
and is closed by a thin, brown operculum. 

Bittium filosum, Gld., Bit-ti-um fi-lo'-sum, is shown 
in Fig. 57. Unlike the last species, which 
seems to delight in the brackish water of salt 
marshes, the little Bittiums live in the ocean, 
and may be found alive at low tide, by turn- 
Fig- 57. ing over stones and searching carefully for 
their small shells. The dead shells are often inhab- 
ited by the Hermit Crabs, and are quite abundant in 
many places, where little shells are apt to be found. 
This shell is shaped like a short, stout thorn, and 
varies in length from one-fourth to one-half an inch. 
The whitish or brownish whorls are eight or ten in 
number, and are marked by slight spiral grooves. 

Bittium quadrifilatum, Cpr., quad-ri-fil-a'-tum. As 
indicated by its name, the whorls of this shell have 
four equal spiral threads, which coil over slight cross- 
ribs. In shape, it is a regular but very slender cone; 
its color is dark; its length is from one-fourth to one- 
half an inch; southern. 



THE TOWER SHELL. 73 

In Fig. 58, we have a picture of the Tower Shell, 
Turritella Cooperi, Cpr. , Tur-ri-tel'-la Coop'- 
er-i, which is likewise a southern shell, found, 
according to Mr. Hemphill, on the sandy 
beach, between tides. The shell can hardly 
be said to have a body-whorl, but consists 
wholly of a slender, tapering, many-whorled 
spire. The sutures are distinct, the aperture 
circular, and the outer lip sharp and thin. 
The ?olor is yellowish, somewhat spotted with 
brown; length, two inches. It can hardly be 
mistaken for any other shell. 
Fig^s. Mesalia tenuiscitlpta, Cpr., Me-sa'-li-a ten- 
ui-sculp'-ta, is like a minute specimen of the last, and' 
is found on mud flats. Its whorls are rounded, and 
feebly sculptured by cross-lines. The usual length 
is less than one-fourth of an inch. 

The next species is wholly different from any that 
have gone before. It has a shell about one-eighth of 
an inch long, looking like a minute, slightly- curved 
tube. Under the microscope it is seen to be com- 
posed of very numerous and closely-crowded rings. 
Its color is white or yellowish, and its name is Ccecum 
Calif ornicum, Dall., Se'-kum Cal-i-for'-ni-cum. 

Ccecum crebricinctum, Cpr., kre-bri-sink'-tum, is a 
species having a shell twice as large as the last, 
marked by exceedingly fine rings, which are often 
quite indistinct. Both of these species are found 
chiefly in the South. 

Spiroglyphus litiie/la ) Morch., Spi-ro-gly'-fus lit-u- 
el'la. This singular mollusk has an irregular, tubular 
shell, which becomes attached to the side of a stone, 
and twists itself into an ill-shaped, flattened cone. 



74 SERPULORBIS. 

Several specimens are frequently found near one 
another. The shell is often angular and roughened ; 
the aperture is circular, and is one-eighth of an inch 
or less in diameter. The color, as in several of the 
following specimens, is a dingy white. 

Serpulorbis squamigerus, Cpr., Ser-pu-lor'-bis squam- 
i-je'-rus. Very irregular ; frequently many specimens 
grow together upon a rock, and look like a heap of 
contorted snakes. The shell is marked throughout 
its length by transverse, scaly ridges. The aperture 
is circular, one-fourth of an inch across. The tube, 
if straightened, would measure some four inches or 
more in length ; it has a circular operculum. I found 
a few living specimens of this species at Monterey ; 
but it is rare so far north. Many of these more 
uncommon species may be found by wading into the 
water at low tide and turning up stones, or bringing 
them out to dry land for closer examination. A pair 
of long rubber boots will be found very convenient 
on such excursions. 

There is a series of shells, dead specimens of which 
are abundant, which present a puzzling aspect, and 
which vary greatly in outward appearance. They 
are not spiral, but appear like hollow cones more or 
less flattened, with the apex to one side of the center. 
Some of them are singularly like a horse's hoof in 
shape, hence they have received a name, derived from 
the Greek, which has that meaning. 

The number of true species which belong to this 
coast is somewhat uncertain, on account of the vari- 
able nature of the shell. I will mention two, which 
will probably include all our common specimens. 
The first one is named Hipponyx antiquatus, Linn., 




HOOF SHELL. 75 

Hip'-po-nyx an-ti-qua'-tus, the Horse-hoof shell. 
Fig. 59 gives a side-view of a flat specimen, showing 
the apex near one side, and part of the 
interior. The shell is very variable, 
but in general it is hoof-shaped, with 
an internal muscular impression shaped 
*%• 59. like a horse-shoe. The lines of growth 

give it a more or less scaly appearance. Sometimes 
it is nearly flat, but in other specimens it is obliquely 
conical. The color is white, and the diameter is 
half an inch. Occasionally live specimens may be 
found at low tide on the surface of rocks. 

Hipponyx tumens, Cpr., tu'-mens. Smaller and 
more regular than the last species. Apex recurved ; 
lower part of the shell sometimes bearded. Radial 
lines of sculpture run from the apex, and are crossed 
by concentric lines of growth. 

The Slipper-shells next invite our attention. They 
are easily recognized by the deck which runs across 
the back part of the shell, forming a chamber which 
contains some of the internal organs of the little 
inhabitant, and which, when the shell is empty, 
reminds one of the toe of a Chinese slipper. 

The most common species is Crepidula adiuica, 
Sby. , Cre-pid'-u-la ad-un'-ca, Hooked Slipper-shell, 
shown in Fig. 60. The apex is strongly 
recurved, giving the shell a hooked 
appearance. Its color is brown, but 
Fig. 60. the deck is white. Living specimens 

may often be found growing upon rocks or upon 
other shells. Common length from one-half to three- 
fourths of an inch ; abundant. 

Larger and more flattened than the last shell, is 





j6 SLIPPER-SHELLS. 

that of the next species, Crepidula rugosa, Nutt., 
ru-go'-sa. The surface is somewhat roughened and 
shaggy, and the apex is on the very edge of the shell. 
The color of the outside is light brown, sometimes 
marked with narrow stripes, while the inside is dark 
brown, except the deck, which is white. The length 
is sometimes more than an inch. 

Crepidula navicelloides, Nutt, nav-i-sel-loi'-des, is 
the White Slipper-shell, and is shown in 
Fig. 61. This species has a pure white 
shell, and may easily be recognized by its 
color, its flattened shape, and by the very 
thin and delicate deck, which is shown in 
the engraving. 

Sometimes this mollusk makes his 
Fig. 61. home upon the rock, and the back of his 
shell becomes rough and discolored; again, live spec- 
imens may be found within the aperture of a dead 
spiral shell, and then the Crepidula is smooth, curved, 
elongated, and almost transparent. The common 
length is less than an inch. 

A small species of this extensive genus is named 
Crepidula dorsata, Brod. , dor-sa'-ta; It is nearly 
circular in outline, with a small, curved, partly 
detached deck, and a more or less wrinkled shell, 
about half an inch in diameter. The color is brown 
and white, sometimes mottled, and the shell is thin 
and flat. 

Crepidula aculeata ) Gm., a-ku-le-a'-ta, is a small 
southern species, with a low apex, curved to one side. 
The yellowish white shell is marked by many irregu- 
ular, radiatng ridges. It occurs " around the world. " 
(Cpr.) 



CRUCIBULUM. 



77 



Closely resembling the Crepidulas, but containing 
a triangular cup instead of a shelly deck, comes the 
Cup-and-Saucer Limpet, Crucibuliim 
spinosum, Sby. , Cru-sib'-u-lum spi-no'- 
sum, shown in Fig. 62. The saucer is 
more or less sharply conical, usually 
brownish in color, and set, on the out- 
side, with numerous spines. The cup 
within the shell is small, white and 
Fig. 62. triangular, and on one side is joined to 

the saucer. This species assumes many forms, and the 
shell varies in color from brown to almost white; 
sometimes it is quite free from spines. Diameter 
from one-half an inch to three times that size. Its 
home is to the south of Monterey bay. 




CHAPTER XII. 

Turban-Shells and Top Shells — Mother-of-Pearl — 
The Little Shells — The Beautiful Caliostomas — 
Brown, Black, Golden, and other Turbans — Pachy- 
poma and its neighbors — the iveptonyx of llnn^eus. 

WE have now reached the Trochidse, a great fam- 
ily, which includes the Turban-shells and Top- 
shells, and to which belong some of the most beauti- 
ful and interesting of all our mollusks. 

We shall find little ones and big ones; shells black 
as night, and shells red as bricks; some shells with 
little beauty, and others composed of brilliant pearl, 
and marked with richly colored stripes; some thick 
and heavy, made for the sport of the waves, and oth- 
ers so thin and delicate that you can crush them with 
your fingers. The inner layer of these shells is 
nacreous, that is, composed of that rainbow tinted 
substance called mother-of-pearl. All the mollusks 
of this great family may be classed with the vegeta- 
ble-eaters. 

The first species that I shall mention is named 

Margarita pupilla, Gld., Mar-gar-i'-ta pu-pil'-la, and 

its shell is represented in Fig. 63. This pretty 

<j||k little Turban is a northener, living in and 
about Puget Sound, but sometimes coming 

Fig. 63. f ur ther south. Its whorls are four, marked 
with spiral ridges ; its umbilicus distinct, and its 



TOP-SHELLS. 79 

aperture nearly circular. It is yellowish brown in 
color, and is about the size of a small pea. 

Margarita acuticostata, Cpr., a-cu-ti-cos-ta'-ta is 
like the last, but much smaller. It is a southern 
shell, and its surface is marked with a few sharp 
ridges and some clouded painting. 

Margarita heticina, Mont., hel-i-si'-na, is a third 
species, and may be briefly described as follows: Spire 
low, few-whorled, aperture circular, umbilicus small, 
whorls smooth, color whitish. It is less than one- 
fourth of an inch in diameter, and its home is in the 
far north, on the shores of Alaska. It is widely dis- 
tributed, and is described as circumboreal. 

Gibhula parcipicta, Cpr., Gib'-bu-la par-si-pik'-ta, 
has a turban-shaped shell, marked with small ridges. 
The outside is dark or spotted, but the interior is 
of beautiful green pearl. Its diameter is about one- 
eighth of an inch. It is a northern species. 

Gibbula succincta, Cpr. , suk-sink'-ta, has a very 
small shell, marked with delicate ridges, and brown, 
spiral pencilings. 

Calliostoma annulatnm, Mart., Cal-li-os'-to-ma an- 
nu-la'-tum, Fig. 64. The shell of 
this mollusk is one of the most 
beautiful products of this Western 
Ocean. Regularly conical in shape, 
sometimes more tapering than is 
shown in the engraving, delicate 
in texture, the sutures marked 
with a rich line of purple, and the 
Flg ' 64 ' whorls traced with rows of sculp- 

tured points, it is a shell to be much admired, and to 
be highly prized. 




80 HABITS OF THE MOLLUSKS. 

It is seldom found on the beach, but is obtained 
from the seaweed, at some distance off the shore. 

In bright weather, the mollusks crawl up the stems 
of the seaweed and rest near the surface of the water. 
At such times the collector goes out in a boat, hauls 
a quantity of the weed over the rail, and easily cap- 
tures a quantity of these beauties. Should he go out 
in the wrong part of the day, or when the sky is 
dark, it is probable that the seaweed will be found 
quite deserted, and that our pretty friends will be 
enjoying themselves down below the waves. Too 
delicate to bear the beating of the surf upon the 
rocks, their home is in deep water, where they cling 
to the long seaweeds, and sway to and fro; or, when 
the weather is too rough, sink to more quiet abodes. 
The color is yellowish or reddish brown, striped 
w r ith violet. The aperture is somewhat angular, and 
the edge of the lip is sharp and thin. Its length is 
seldom more than one inch. 

Quite similar in general form 
and habits, is another Top- 
shell, named Calliostoma can- 
aliculatum. Mart. , can-al-ik-u- 
la'-tum, and shown in Fig. 65. 
This shell is larger than that 
of the last species, though the 
engraving represents quite a 
Fi s- 65 - large specimen. Its shape is 

conical, and the whorls are girdled with deep spiral 
channels, between raised ridges. The surface is light 
brown, or ash-colored, though the shell is rainbow- 
tinted within. The thin exterior layer may readily 
be removed by a weak acid, if one wishes to bring 
out the pearly interior. 





CALUOSTOMA. 8 1 

Fig. 66 presents to us another shell, Calliostoma 
costatum, Mart. This species is smaller 
than either of the preceding members of 
the genus, and lives nearer the shore. 
Hence we would naturally expect to 
find that it had a thicker and stronger 
shell than either of the others, and in 
Fig. 66. this we are not disappointed. 

It has four rounded whorls, marked with fine spiral 
ridges. The thin, reddish brown outer coat is readily 
removed, showing the blue pearly shell underneath. 

I have found very fine living specimens, hanging 
upon the roof and walls of some rocky grotto which 
had been left by the early morning tide. I have also- 
gathered them from the long seaweeds which grow 
near the rocky shore. 

The length of one of these shells is about three- 
fourths of an inch ; the operculum is thin and per- 
fectly circular; the aperture of dead shells is often 
inhabited by a thin variety of the White Slipper- 
shell. 

The above mentioned three species are the most 
common representatives of the group, but there are 
several others, some of which are not less beautiful, 
though they are more rare. The names given to 
them indicate their special characteristics. 

Among them we find Calliostoma gemmulatum^ 
Cpr., jem-mu-la'-tum, in size like the last, but more 
acute in form. Each whorl has two principal rows 
of granules, with some smaller markings. The 
whorls of this southern species are very distinct, and 
its color is gray, with dark cross-stripes running 
down from the apex. 

(6) 




82 PEARLY TOP-SHELLS. 

Calliostoma tricolor, Gabb., tri'-co-lor, is shown in 
Fig. 67. The shell is conical, its five whorls little 
raised, but marked with delicate spiral 
sculpturing. The back-ground of yel- 
lowish gray is ornamented with fine 
spiral threads of color, broken into 
alternate joints of purple and white, 
thus giving it the three- colored aspect. 
Fig. 67. j|- j s a southern shell, and is obtained 

by dredging. The figure represents a large specimen. 
Another rare southern species is named Calliostoma 
supragranosum, Cpr. , su-pra-gran-o'-sum. It resem- 
bles the last figure, but is more conical, and has more 
flattened whorls. The interior is white, but the out- 
side is of a light reddish-brown color, with a chain of 
dark circular dots afong the sutures and the angle of 
the body- whorl. Good specimens have been found 
at Monterey. (Mrs. Estabrook.) 

Calliostoma splendens, Cpr., splen'-dens. Small, 
the size of a pea ; whorls marked with slight spiral 
ridges; base flattened and glossy; color yellowish 
chestnut. It is a rare shell, and is found at low 
water, or is dredged. 

Turcia caffea, Gabb., Tur'-shi-a caf'-fe-a. A little 
larger than the last, with whorls flattened, and 
sutures deep and bearded. Thin, brown, and very 
rare. 

Leaving the Top-shell, with their sharply conical 
form, so suggestive of that toy which every boy 
delights to spin, we pass on to the more rounded 
Turban-shells, which put you in mind of Bible-stories, 
and the turbaned heads of the men of the East. 
Our first species is shown in Fig. 68, and its scien- 
tific name is Omphalitis fuscescens, Phil., Om-fa'-li-us 
fus-ses'-sens. 



TURBAN-SHELLS. 



83 




It has a strong, solid, turban-shaped shell, whose 
rusty brown whorls are banded with 
raised spiral lines. These lines ar£ 
broken or beaded, and sometimes are 
dotted with black, giving the shell a 
very characteristic appearance. 

The operculum, as in nearly all of 
Fig. 68. this group, is thin, horny and circular. 

The umbilicus is large and distinct, the aperture cir- 
cular, and marked below with rounded knobs. The 
length of the shell is from half an inch to an inch. 

Chlorostoma Pfeifferi, Phil., Klo-ros'-to-ma fi'-fer-i. 
In shape the shell of this rare species resembles the 
one shown in Fig. 64. It is conical, with whorls 
perfectly flat ; the base is likewise flat and circular, 
and the umbilicus is large. Its color is light brown ; 
its length is sometimes more than an inch, and its 
breadth is the same. 

In Fig. 69 we have the representation of a more 
common Turban, or Chlorostoma, which name means 
Green-mouth, and refers doubtless to the greenish 
nacre within the aperture. 

This species is named Chlorosto- 
ma brunnettm, Phil., brun'-ne-um, 
and we will call it the Brown Tur- 
ban. When found alive, as it may 
be, on the rocks at very low tide, or 
on the kelp if you have a boat, 
Fig. 69. this mollusk has a handsome, rich 

brown shell, with a portion of white around the 
aperture. The base is flattened, the umbilicus is 
closed, and the lines of growth are very oblique; 
while the edge of the outer lip is very sharp. 

Even the dead and worn shells preserve their brown 




8+ 



THE TURBANS. 



color remarkably, and can easily be told from those 
of the more common Black Turban. Old and over- 
grown specimens, an inch and a half long, are 
sometimes found, but one-half that length is more 
common. 

Chlorostoma aureotinctum, Fbs., au-re-o-tink'-tum, 
Gilded Turban. 

The shell of this species is similar in shape to Fig. 
69, but the whorls, instead of being nearly smooth, 
are banded by a few very heavy, rounded spiral 
ridges, and wavy crossings. The shell is gray or 
nearly black; the umbilicus is large and marked with 
a bright yellow stain, which gives the species its 
name. The shell is about an inch long. 

The Speckled Turban, Chlorostoma 
gallina, Fbs., gal-li'-na, is shown in 
Fig. 70. 

It is about the size of the last spe- 
cies, and has a solid shell, mostly black 
in color, but finely mottled with a 
lighter shade, like the feathers of a 
Fig. 70. speckled hen or gallina, as it is in 

Latin. 

The outer lip is thin, black, and lined with white 
nacre, and there is no umbilicus. This species 
belongs to the south; one of its varieties, named 
tincta, has a yellowish shell. But most of 
the specimens are black, and sometimes 
greatly resemble the exceedingly common 
Black Turban, or Chlorostoma funebrale, 
A. Ad.; fu-ne-bra'-le, shown in Fig. 71. 
Fig. 71. This is the old friend that is so ready to 

greet us whenever we set foot upon the rocky shore. 
Protected by a firm and solid shell, well fitted to 





A COMMON SPECIES. 85 

resist the buffeting of the waves, it clings to the 
rocks which are daily left bare by the retreating 
tides. Immense numbers of these little creatures lie 
at the base of the cliffs; in some cases I have seen the 
rocks almost black with them, of all ages and sizes. 

On my first visit to the seaside, I wanted them all, 
and I gathered and cleaned them for hours. Two 
very natural results followed; first, that there remained 
apparently as many as before; and second, that on 
subsequent visits I gathered very few. But whether 
we collect them, or merely watch their movements 
and study their habits, still they soon become like old 
friends to anyone who has learned the pleasant art of 
putting himself in sympathy with the lower animals, 

When in the water, the little black animal with its 
short head and lively feelers may be seen briskly 
moving about; but when out of water he evidently 
feels that the inside of his shell is the safest spot for 
him to rest, and into it he withdraws, and closes the 
doorway with his circular operculum. 

The color of the shell is dark purple, almost black 
on the outside, with greenish white pearly layers 
beneath. The whorls are four in number, and the 
uppermost ones are often eroded, so that the shell 
appears more flattened than is shown by the engrav- 
ing. The body- whorl is puckered near the suture; 
the umbilicus is nearly closed, and the columella is 
set with two little white knobs, near its base. The 
common length of the shell is less than an inch, but 
sometimes specimens are found which are considera- 
bly longer. 

Ethalia supravalata, Cpr. , and its variety, invaU 
lata, Cpr., are exceedingly minute creatures, having 
flattened, spiral shells, about the size of a pin's head. 



86 



OTHER TURBAN. 



The former has a furrow and keel near the suture, 
while the variety has neither; southern. 

Liotia fenestrate* , Cpr., Iyi-o'-shi-a fe-nes-tra'-ta, has 
a small, flattened, whitish shell, cut into numerous 
little square pits, by the crossing of ribs and lines. 
Its diameter is one-eighth of an inch. 

Liotia acuticostata, Cpr., a-cu-ti-cos-ta'-ta, is smaller, 
less flattened, and is marked with sharp, spiral ridges, 
but without cross-lines ; whitish. 

Fig. 72 represents a fine shell which is common on 




Fig. 72. 



the southern coast. Notice its flattened form, small 
spire, deep umbilicus, ample aperture and shaggy 
operculum. The name is Trochiscus Norrissi, Sby., 
Tro-kis'-kus Nor-ris'-si. 

The shell is quite smooth, and of a rich, brown 
color ; the rim of the umbilicus, curiously enough, 
is tinted with bright green. The diameter of the 
shell of this very distinct species is two inches or 
less, hence our engraving represents a large specimen. 

A big, strong, brick-red shell, considerably resemb- 
ling Fig. 75, is frequently picked up along the shores 
of central California, though, in fact, it has a much 
wider range. It is the shell of the Pachypoma gib- 



TROCHISCUS. 87 

berosum, Chem., Pack-i-po'-ma gib-ber-o'-sum, a 
mollusk that is seldom found alive. The shell is 
broadly conical; its whorls are quite rough, and its 
flat base is marked with five or six deep, concentric 
furrows. As the shells are usually dead and some- 
what broken, it is seldom that you find the operculum 
in place. This operculum is quite different from any 
which we have noticed before, and is of an oval shape, 
and is made up of a plate of horn for the inside, and 
a solid bulge of shell for the outer part. They may 
frequently be picked up along the beach , and are 
puzzling objects to those who have never seen them 
in place. The shell is usually from two to three 
inches in breadth across the base, and of about the 
same height. 

A much smaller shell, but similar in some respects, 
is that of Leptonyx sanguineus, Linn., Lep'-to-nyx 
san-guin'-e-us, shown in Fig. 73. The largest speci- 
mens are of the size of a pea, but many 

M^ smaller ones will be found. The whorls are 
few, marked with fine, distinct, spiral ridges ; 
Fig. 73. operculum solid and shelly. The color is 
reddish, sometimes faded or banded. 

This species may be found at low tide, living upon 
rocks; but the Hermit Crabs bring up many empty 
shells. You notice that the name of this species was 
given by the great Linnaeus. Probably he never saw 
a specimen from the Pacific ; but ours is considered 
identical with the Mediterranean species to which he 
gave the above name. 

Leptonyx baaila, Cpr., back'-u-la, is another spe- 
cies. In shape it is like the last shell, but it is 
smaller, being only about one-eighth of an inch in 
diameter. It is nearly smooth, dark or ashy : 
southern. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Results oe The Agassiz Society — The Waiting World 
— Consider — The Pheasant Shell — The Haliotis or 
Abalone — Its Chief Species — The Contribution 
Shell — The Black Abalone — Limpets — Their Anat- 
omy — Key-hole Limpets — The Volcano Shell — Fis- 
sure Shells. 

SOME years ago I read in a newspaper an account 
of a lot of happy children, who were out on the 
beach looking for shells. Presently one of the party 
picked up a little thing, not more than a quarter of 
an inch long and at once she began to dance with 
joy, and to shout, "I've found a real Pheasant 
shell!" U A Pheasant shell," asked the observer, 
u what is that, and how do you know its name ? " 

" Oh," was the reply, " Mr. K. told us about it at 
our Agassiz Society meeting; and see those beautiful 
red stripes, and all these pretty little markings!" 

I never knew who wrote the article, but I do 
know that there are thousands of children, all over 
this great western region, who would be better and 
happier if they understood the interesting and beau- 
tiful objects of nature w T hich lie about them in such 
profusion. How many insects, birds, and other ani- 
mals there are; how many flowers, trees and mosses; 
what interesting rocks and minerals under foot, and 
brilliant stars overhead; and each with a name, a 



CONSIDER. 89 

place and a history, and all waiting, as in a perpetual 
exposition, to be seen, admired and loved. 

" When I consider the heavens," says David, — and 
if parents and teachers and kind friends will teach 
the children to u consider " the works of nature, they 
will very likely come to conclusions similar to those 
of the psalmist king. 

" Consider the lilies," said our Savior, and we all 
know the happy inference which followed. And so 
I shall greatly rejoice if this little book leads a great 
many children, of all ages, to consider these humble 
yet beautiful inhabitants of the shore, the wood, and 
the stream. 

But this has led me away from our little Pheasant 
shell, Phasianella compta, Gld., Fas-i-an-el'-la komp'- 

4ta, shown in Fig. 74. The dead shells may 
often be picked up on sandy beaches, and 
when magnified by the aid of a lens, they 
Fig. 74- appear very beautiful. The outline is smooth 
and symmetrical, and the surface is gaily marked with 
zigzag stripes of red, brown and white, while the 
operculum is shelly and rounded. 

Sometimes the little mollusks are found alive on 
seagrass, but the epidermis obscures the beauty of the 
naked shell. Its length is from one-eighth to one- 
fourth of an inch. 

Pomaitlax iindosus, Wood, Po-mau'-lax un-do'-sus, 
is a southern species, which sometimes grows to a 
great size. Fig. 75 represents an average specimen. 
It is broadly conical, with a long, triangular aper- 
ture. The outer lip is thin, the whorls marked with 
numerous wavy ridges, and the base ornamented with 
beaded circles. The shell is of whitish pearl, cov- 
ered with a brown, fibrous epidermis. The opef- 



90 THE SOUTHERN TOP. 

culum is very peculiar; it is horny within, shelly 
without, and strengthened by two heavy curved ribs. 
The breadth of the shell is from two to four inches. 




Fig- 75- 

We have now come to the Abalone shells, as they 
are called on this coast, though the name is a local 
one. Off the coast of England, they are known as 
" Ormers," while the translation of the true name 
makes them " Sea-ears. n Fig. 76 represents our 
most beautiful species, Haliotis splendens, Rve., Hal- 
i-o'-tis splen'-dens. 

The shells of this genus are spiral, but are 
extremely flattened, and the diminutive spire is almost 
concealed at one end of the body-whorl, while the 
oval aperture is nearly as long and broad as the shell 
itself. 

Near one edge of the shell is a series of holes, 
which serve as outlets for the water which has passed 
over the animal's gills, together with any waste par- 
ticles which may be thrown off from the various 
organs. As the shell increases in size, some of these 



THE HALIOTIS. 



9 1 



holes become closed from the inside, while new ones 
are formed at the edge of the growing shell. 

Now, if we look within, we shall find the most 
highly colored portion of the shell near the center, 
at the spot where the huge muscle which controls the 
foot has been detached. This huge foot can cling to 
a rock with surprising force, and the animal must be 
taken unawares if an easy conquest is expected. 




Fig. 76. 

The internal organs are very interesting for dis- 
section, particularly the mouth with its long, ribbon- 
like tongue, thickly set with flinty hooks or teeth. 
By means of these teeth the animal rasps its vegetable 
food into fine shreds fit for swallowing. This lingual 
ribbon in a good-sized specimen is one-fourth of an 
inch wide, and three inches long. 

Haliotis splendens is a southern species. I once 
dissected a single specimen which was found living 
near Moss beach, at Monterey ; but they are seldom 
found so far north. 

The shell is quite thin, and is diversified externally 
by low, spiral ridges, of a dark and dull color. 



92 THE RED ABALONE. 

Within, a whole rainbow is condensed in one of these 
magnificent shells, though the shades of green are 
most conspicuous. The coloring in the center is par- 
ticularly fine, resembling a peacock's tail. There 
are about six open holes near one side of the shell, 
and its length is about the same number of inches. 

Haliotis rufescens, Swains., ru-fes'-sens, Fig. 77, 
is the common Red Abalone of commerce. The 
beauty of these shells has caused them to be very 




Fig. 77- 

widely distributed, and though their abundance 
makes us somewhat careless of them, still, they are 
among the most beautiful objects ever gathered from 
this coast. 

In the Eastern States they are commonly called 
California shells, and are highly prized as mantle 
ornaments. 

My earliest recollection goes back to a quarterly 
children's meeting, at the close of which the big 
shell was utilized as a contribution plate, and into 
its broad, pearly aperture, we dropped the big copper 
cents, which went to establish schools for heathen 



THE BLACK ABALONE. 



93 



children. Shell of blessed memories ! I would love 
to see it again. 

The outer layer of the shell projects over the 
pearly inner layer, and makes the fine red edge so 
much prized in perfect specimens. The back is 
somewhat roughened, and is overgrown with vegeta- 
tion. The holes are large, usually three in number, 
and the muscle impression is prominent. The shell 
sometimes grows to a length of nine inches. 

All parts of this mollusk are valuable. The 
Chinese dry the meat and use it for food ; and it 
must be confessed that the muscular foot makes a 
most delicious soup. The shells are largely exported 
to Europe, and are made into buttons, and used for 
various kinds of inlaid work. The persistent war- 
fare waged against this species by the Chinese 
gatherers has greatly reduced their numbers ; but a 
temporary turn of fashion has caused the dealers to 
call for fewer shells, and it is to be hoped that they 
will be allowed to increase once more. 




The Black Abalone, Haliotis Cfackerodti\ Leach. 
Crach-e-ro'-di-i, is shown in Fig. 78. 



94 VARIETIES. 

It is smaller and more abundant than the last 
species. The back is quite smooth, marked only by 
lines of growth. The spire is very short ; the holes 
five to nine in number, and the color is greenish 
black without, and pearly within. Live specimens, 
varying in length from one-fourth of an inch up to 
six inches, may be found at low tide, clinging to the 
rocks, particularly in the most inaccessible cracks, 
and under heavy boulders. 

When examined in a jar of sea- water, as all of 
these animals should be if there is opportunity, a 
living specimen presents many interesting points for 
study, particularly its broad foot, its fringed and 
sensitive mantle, its stalked eyes and slender ten- 
tacles. 

Haliotis cormgata, Gray, Hal-i-o'-tis cor-ru-ga'-ta. 

As its name indicates, this species has a roughened 
or corrugated shell. In size and color it resembles 
H. rufescens, but its shell is nearly circular, thick, 
high arched and corrugated. 

It has only two or three holes, but these are quite 
large, and the central muscle impression is quite wide 
and very brilliant. It is a southern species and is 
usually found below the low-water mark. 

A variety of this species named assvmh's^ Dall. , 
as-sim'-i-lis, is smaller, less roughened, has more 
holes, and is marked by a furrow, running parallel 
with the line of holes, and just below them. Deep 
water specimens are sometimes found in the stomachs 
of large fishes. There has been considerable discus- 
sion concerning this variety, and some regard it as a 
distinct species. Specimens of it are found further 
north than the simple corrugata is known to have 
been gathered. 



LIMPETS. 



95 



The Pacific seacoast abounds in Limpets. They 
are harmless, vegetable-eating mollusks, which cling 
to the rocks, and are protected by shells shaped like 
inverted saucers. Many of them seem to have per- 
manent habitations, and though they make frequent 
short excursions, they come back to roost on the old 
spot, which becomes worn and scarred by their con- 
stant presence. The anatomy of these animals is 
similar to that of other mollusks. There is a mantle 
lining the free parts of the shell, a broad, muscular 
foot, a head with a pair of eyes and feelers, a mouth 
fitted with a crescent-like jaw, and a long tongue set 
with flinty hooks. There are gills for the purification 
of the blood, a liver, a heart, and other organs of 
digestion, circulation and secretion. A few species 
have an opening in the top of the shell, which serves 
the same purpose as the holes of the Haliotis. 

By far the largest of the Key-hole Limpets, as they 
are called, is named Liicapina crenulata, Sby. , Lu-ka- 




pi'-ua cren-u-la'-ta. A small figure of the shell is 
shown in Fig. 79. Though this shell is often some 
four inches long, the animal is much larger, and 
somewhat resembles a brick, both in shape and size. 



9 6 



KEY-HOLE LIMPETS. 



It has a huge yellow foot and a black mantle, which 
nearly conceals the white shell which rests upon the 
animal's back. 

This shell is marked by many radiating ribs, and 
concentric lines of growth; it has a large, oblong 
hole to one side of the center, around which, inter- 
nally, is a thick rim of enamel. The crenulated or 
scalloped edge of the shell is a marked feature, and 
suggested the name. 

Internally, the shell is of a pure, glossy white, but 
the outside is somewhat dingy. This mollusk is not 
very abundant, and is seldom found alive near the 
shore. 

Glyphis aspera, Esch., Gly'-fis as'-pe-ra, Fig. 80, 

has a rough shell, more 
sharply conical than the 
last, with a small oval 
hole at the top, quite 
different from the nar- 
row, oblong slit of the 
next shell. This shell 
has a wrinkled edge, a 
white interior, and a 
Its common length is an 
inch and a half, though I once found a fine live spe- 
cimen of twice that length. 

Fig. 81 represents the shell of our most common 
Key-hole Limpet, Fissurella volcano, Rve., Fis-su- 
rel'-la vol-ca'-no. The dead shells 
are abundant, and living speci- 
mens, with yellow foot and red- 
striped mantle, may often be found 
on the rocks at low tide. 
Fig - 8l - The shell is about an inch in 

length, and is oblong conical in form, while the red 




Fig. 80. 



gray or striped outside. 




KEY-HOLE LIMPETS. 97 

stripes, running down from the small, oblong hole at 
the top, suggest streams of red hot lava issuing from 
the crater of a volcano. The coloring appears plain- 
est on dead shells; the live ones are darker, smoother, 
and less brilliant. 

Glyphis densiclathrata, Rve., den-si-clath-ra'-ta, is 
smaller, more delicate, and has closer and finer sculp- 
turing. Length about half an inch, color white or 
gray, hole circular; below tides. 

Fissurellidcza calliomarginata, Cpr. , Fis-su-rel-li- 
de ; -a cal-li-o-mar-gin-a'-ta, is a small, deep-water 
species. Its shell is low-arched, with a large, oblong 
hole, and roughened rays. The margin is crenulated 
and the inside is white. 

Fissurellidcza bimaculata, Dall, bi-mak-u-la'-ta, 

is the long name of the little shell shown in Fig. 82. 

Dead shells may frequently be found, and 

^jBg) occasionally a live one may be gathered 

from the sea- weed or the rocks. The shell 

Flg * 82, is about one- fourth of an inch in length, 
oblong, with rounded corners and external sculptur- 
ing. The hole in the center is shaped like the shell. 
The color is white, but there is a dark, triangular 
spot on each side, which gives it the name bimacu- 
lata, meaning two-spotted. 

0) 



CHAPTER XIV, 

Gadinia— The Owl Shell — The White Cap— A Large 
Family of Limpets and the Meaning of Their 
Names; Changeable Forms — Sea- weed Limpets, or 
Nacellas. 

IN the preceding chapter we have considered a num- 
ber of mollusks whose shells have a slit or fissure 
at the apex; in this one, let us note those which have 
a solid shell. 

The first one on our list is named Gadinia reticu- 
lata, Sby., Ga-din'-i-a re-tik-u-la'-ta. (Gadinia 
radiata, Cpr.) The natural size of the 
shell is shown in Fig. 83. It is low-arched, 
entire, and has a nearly central apex, from 
which run radial ridges to the edge of the 
Fig. 83. shell. These rays are crossed by deep lines 
of growth, giving the shell a nettled or reticulated 
appearance. Its color is white, and it is half an inch 
in diameter. I have found a few specimens living 
on a mussel-bearing ledge, near low- water mark. 

Of the many species of true Limpets which are 
found on the west coast of the United States, the 
largest is the Owl-shell, shown in Fig. 84, and whose 
true name is Lottia gigantea, Gray, Lot'-ti-a 
gi-gan'-te-a. 




THE OWL-SHELL. 



99 




On the outside the shell is usually rough, brown, 

and unsightly; within, it is 
very dark and lustrous, and 
has a bluish white center 
marked with brown. In 
some specimens, the part 
within the horse-shoe 
shaped muscle scar greatly 
resembles a horned owl sit- 
ting upon his perch. The 
shell is rather flat, and the 
apex is near one end. The 
length of the shell is some- 
times as much as three 
inches, though commonly 
it is much less. 

Fig. 85 represents a very pretty shell, commonly 
known as the White Cap. Its name is Acviceci mitra, 
Esch., Ak-me'-a mi'-tra, though it 
was once thought to belong- to the 
genus Scnrria. Everybody who 
walks along the beach picks up this 
pleasing white shell, with its smooth 
surface and conical form. Even if you 
have a hundred in your cabinet 
already, you wish for every new one which you see, 
and it is so white and pure and graceful that you don't 
wonder the ladies sometimes wear them attached to 
their ear-rings. You may occasionally find a living 
specimen, but the most of them dwell below the tide 
mark, and furnish us nothing but their empty shells. 
Stony vegetables often thrive upon these shells, and 
you often find one covered with knobby nullipores, or 




Fig- 85. 



IOO 



ACM^A. 




Fig. 86. 

near one end, as 
by large, rough 




adorned with a tuft of jointed coralline. The common 
length of the shell is one inch. 

Acmcea spectrum, Nutt., spek'-trum, is a very dis- 
tinct species. It lives high up on the rocks along the 
seashore, and from its gray color 
it looks like a scale of granite. Its 
shell is very variable, but is gen- 
erally low conical, with the apex 
shown in Fig. 86, and it is marked 
rays, which render the edge very 
irregular, as is well shown in Fig. 87. 

The interior is of a chalky white, 
dotted w 7 ith various colored spots, 
which sometimes bring out ' ' the 
owl" very distinctly. The usual 
length is less than an inch. 

The shell of the little Acmcea 
Fig. 87. rosacea, Cpr., ro-sa'-se-a, is very 

small and delicate. Its white cone is gaily marked 
with lines and dots of yellow and pink. Its length 
is only one-fourth of an inch, or less, and it is rare at 
that. Still you may be on the lookout, and in some 
good hour you may wish to turn to this page and 
refresh your memory. 

Most of the Limpets live near the shore, between 
high and low water marks. They are easily collected 
by suddenly lifting them from the rock, by means of 
a brpad-bladed knife; but if they have been pre- 
viously startled, they will cling so tenaciously that 
their shells may be broken before they yield. 

In some countries they are eaten, and vast numbers 
are also gathered for the fishermen as bait. Notice 
carefully the broad foot, the mantle and gills, and the 
short head with its tentacles. After the animal has 




LIMPETS. IOI 

been removed from the shell, observe the horse-shoe 
shaped muscle scar. 

One of the most common of the limpets is named 
Acmcza patina, Esch. , Ak-me'-a pat'-i-na. Fig. 88 

shows the form. It is oval, 
flattened, with a nearly cen- 
tral apex ; from this radiate 
fine lines or striae, sometimes 
Fig. 88. quite indistinct. The outside 

is of a dark color; internally there is first a dark ring 
around the edge, then a broad, bluish- white lining, 
and a patch of brown near the center. The details 
of the coloring vary greatly, and some young speci- 
mens are very prettily checked with green and brown. 
The common length of the shell is from an inch to 
two inches. Mr. Dall considers this species as iden- 
tical with the common Acmcza testudinalis, Fb. and 
Han., which abounds on both sides of the North 
Atlantic. 

Acmcza scabra, Nutt. , ska'-bra, resembles the last 
species in general form, and I once thought it was 
only a variety. But an examination of many speci- 
mens has shown me that the head and mantle of this 
species are of a dark color, while in patina they are 
always white. 

The shell is low-arched, and is covered with scaly, 
radiating ridges, which give it the appearance and 
feeling of a fine-cut file. It is usually whitish or 
light-brown in color, though sometimes it is darker. 
The average length is one inch. I have seen a few 
very large and thick shells, which had belonged to 
aged specimens, and which proved their identity 
only by their white color. 



102 ACM^EA. 

Acmcea pelta, Esch., pel'-ta, Fig. 89, is more 

conical and pointed, and the outside of the shell has 

^a^ about twenty-five blunt, 

^^-^iBk radiating ribs. The out- 

^j^y / ^Sj|jjj|k side * s g" ra Y or striped, and 

j ^S/J' U^^^^^^^^ ^ s sometimes very beauti- 

^^y--y*y-"^^^P Jbt f u l; the inside is mainly 

^g^-. ,=;^= -^m^B^^^ white, though there is 

Fig. 89. generally a dark thread 

around the edge and a brown spot in the center. A 
strange form is sometimes found in which the early 
growth of the shell seems to have been formed on a 
different plan from that of the ordinary specimen, 
for it is smooth, brown, and has almost perpendicular 
sides, like a Nacella; after this it suddenly changes 
to the ordinary form. It is probable that this was 
caused by a decided change in the abode of the 
Limpet, perhaps from the sea-weed to the rock. 

A small, black, conical shell, supposed by Carpen- 
ter to be an abnormal growth of the young of this 
species, is now known as Acmcea Asmi, Midd. It is 
usually found living on the shells of the Black Tur- 
ban. Its length is one-fourth of an inch, while the 
ordinary shells of pelta are an inch long or more. 

AcmcBa persona, Esch., per-so'-na, is shown in Fig. 
90. What a variety of names our Limpets offer to us, 
and how significant they are ! Spec- 
trum — the spectre, with its pale, 
ghostly ribs ; patina — the dish or 
pan, with its saucer-like shell; 
Fig. 90. scabra — the rough Limpet, with a 

shell like a fine rasp; pelta — the shield; and now 7 , 
for the last one, persona — the mask. 




SKA- WEED LIMPETS. 103 

This shell may be distinguished by the position of 
the apex, which is situated very near one end, 
making nearly all the slope come upon one side like 
the roof of an old-fashioned farm-house. The ribs on 
the slope of the shell are prominent but irregular. 
The outside is gray or mottled, and the inside has 
varying amounts of brown and white. This shell is 
high-arched, but it seldom grows to the length of an 
inch. 

Besides these Limpets which may be gathered from 
the rocks, there are several species which are found 
upon the stems of sea-weeds. The largest of these 
Sea-weed Limpets, as they are called, is named 
Nacella instabilis, Glk., Na-sel'-la in-stab'-i-lis. The 
shell is limpet-shaped, narrow, compressed at the 
sides, smooth, brown on the outside and white within. 
Its length is three-fourths of an inch and its breadth 
is a little less. 

Nacella incessa, Hds. , in-ces'-sa, Fig. 91. This is 

the common species, and may be found 

on the flat central ribbons of the olive 

green seaweeds, which are so conspicuous 

near the rocky shore. The sides of the 

shell are flattened and nearly smooth, 

Fig. 91- an( j the apex is rounded. The shell is 

of a dark brown color throughout, and looks as if it 

were made of horn. It is about half an inch long 

and is of the same height. 

Two other species I will briefly describe. The first 
is named Nacella depict a, Gld., on account of its 
painted appearance. Shell very narrow, with straight, 
flat sides. White, with fine brown stripes radiating 
from the apex. One-fourth to one-half an inch in 
length. Southern; on grass at low tide. 




104 SKA-WEED LIMPETS. 

Nacella paleacea, Gld., pal-e-a'-se-a. This shell 
resembles the last one, but is still narrower. It is 
brownish, without stripes, and is one-fourth of an 
inch in length. Nacella triangularis, Cpr., is proba- 
bly a variety of the last. 

Now we will turn to a droll lot of creatures, whose 
bodies resemble the Limpets, but whose shells are 
decidedly peculiar. 



CHAPTER XV. 

A Disturbed Family — The Chitons — How to Prepare 
Specimens — Description of the Common Species — 
The Mossy Chiton — Katherina — Butterfly Shells 
— Less Common Species of the Coat-of-Mail Shells. 

THERE are very odd creatures under the stones 
which lie along the rim of the ocean. If you 
go down at low tide and turn the rocks over, one by 
one, you will be surprised at the number of singular 
beings which stare up at you in blank amazement, 
and then rush away into obscure places, as fast as 
their ten or fourteen legs will carry them. Others 
cannot run, but in sheer helplessness wait for your 
kind decision to do them no harm, and their very 
inertness appeals to your sympathies. While the 
saucy crabs waste no time in ceremonies, and the 
sea-worms creep away as fast as possible, the poor 
mollusks can only cling to the rock for protection, or 
curl themselves into the smallest space and the most 
secure condition which their instinct can dictate. 

When you visit the seaside you will want to see all 
these harmless little inhabitants of the ocean, and 
among them you will probably find some specimens 
of our next group of mollusks, the Chitons, Ki'-tons. 
The anatomy of these animals is similar to that of 
the Limpets, but they seem less highly developed, 
are more sluggish, and commonly live under stones, 
away from all scenes of activity. 



106 THE CHITONS. 

But the peculiar feature which distinguishes them 
from the Limpets, is the fact that the shell of the 
Chiton consists of eight parts, instead of a single 
shield. These parts or valves run across the body 
and overlap one another, like shingles on a roof. 
They are highest in the center, and they end in a 
leathern mantle which runs around the body, and 
which is highly contractile. This being the case, the 
Chiton shells can not be preserved with the same ease 
as those of the Limpets, for the mantle must be dried 
while the valves are in their natural position. 

Probably the best way to prepare fine specimens is 
to bind the living animal, as it rests in a pan of sea- 
water, upon a flat stone or a bit of shingle. It can 
then be placed in warm fresh water, when, after the 
lack of salt has destroyed life and the muscle has 
lost its contractility, the animal may be unbound, 
the viscera removed with a sharp knife, and the parts 
to be preserved placed in a flat position to dry. 

We have a good many species of which the princi- 
pal ones are the following. 

Tomcella lineata, Wood, Ton-i-sel'-la lin-e-a'-ta, 
Fig. 92, Red-lined Chiton. 

This species is a beautiful represen- 
tative of this singular group of mol- 
lusks. The valves or parts of the shell 
are smooth, moderately arched in the 
center, and are of a yellowish brown 
color. This back-ground of color is 
crossed by wavy or zigzag lines of 
orange, red or green, making the fresh 
specimen an object of great beauty. 
The mantle-border is smooth, thin, 
delicate, and of a yellowish brown color. The com- 
mon length of the animal is one inch. 




THE WHITE CHITON. 



IO7 




Ch&topleara Hartwigii, Cpr. , Ke-to-plu'-ra Hart- 
wig'-i-i, is about the same size as the last species, 
but the exterior is not polished, and is of a dull drab 
or an olive green. The inside of the valves is 
smooth, and of a lively, pea-green color; southern. 
Fig. 93 shows us the appearance of a lean Chiton, 
for that is signified by the first part of its long name, 
I schno chiton regularise Cpr., Ish-no-ki'- 
ton reg-u-la^ris. The last name signi- 
fies, moreover, that it is of a very regu- 
lar form, and this is true. Its width, 
which is constant, is half its length, and 
the ends are semi-circles. 

The valves are sharply arched, and 
are marked with very fine sculpturing. 
By the aid of a lens the mantle-border is 

seen to resemble fine Flg - 93 - 
bead- work. The color is dark olive- 
green, and the length is an inch 
and a half or less. 

Stenoradsia Magdalensis, Rve., 
Sten-o-rad'-si-a Mag - da - len'- sis, 
Fig. 94. 

This large and very common 
Chiton may be found under rocks 
at low tide, and may at once be 
recognized by its worn or roughly 
sculptured, low-arched valves, 
which are white internally, and 
of a light ash-gray color on the 
outside. The hairless mantle- 
border is of a similar neutral tint, 
but the foot is yellow. When 
taken from the rock it has a habit of curling itself up 




io8 



THE VEILED CHITON. 



into a ball. Its common length is two or three 
inches. 

Mangerella conspicua, Cpr., Man-ger-el'-la con- 
spik'-u-a, resembles the above, and is considered by 
Mr. Hemphill as merely a variety of that species. 
The mantle-border is roughened by numerous short, 
tubular hairs. Large; southern. 

Placiphorella velata, Cpr., Pla-sif-o-rel'-la ve-la'-ta, 
Round Chiton, is shown in Fig. 95. This singular 
" coat-of-mail " shell is more nearly 
circular than any of its relatives. As 
shown in the cut, the muscular 
mantle in which the valves are in- 
serted is considerably prolonged at 
one end, forming a kind of veil or 
awning, quite different from that of 
any other species with which I am 
acquainted. The mantle-border and 
Fig- 95- the veil are set with a few stiff 

bristles. The valves are low-arched, of a dull red- 
dish brown without, but white within. Its length is 
an inch or an inch and a half. 

Nuttalliana scabra, Rve., Nut-tal-li-an'-a ska'-bra, is 
shown in Fig. 96. This species is rather common 
and is very clearly marked. It is about 
an inch in length and quite narrow, and 
its eight thick, black, irregular valves are 
partly covered by the rough mantle. When 
the animal is removed, the inside of the 
valves are seen to be of a greenish 
color. 

Lepidopleurus Mertensii, Midd., Lep- 
Fig. 96. i-do-plu'-rus Mer-ten'-si-i, Red Chiton. 
Brownish red, regular in outline, sharply arched, 





MOPALIA. 



IO9 



richly sculptured. The raised triangles on the valves 
are adorned with rows of rounded knobs, and the 
interspaces with ribs and frets. They are very beau- 
tiful when examined with a lens. The mantle-border 
is covered with fine, rounded scales. Length, one 
inch; northern. 

The large Chiton shown in Fig. 97 is named 
Mopalia lignosa, Mo-pa'-li-a lig-no'-sa. It differs 
from the last species in many respects. It grows 

to a much larger size, and 
its smooth valves are quite 
sharply arched. These 
valves are of a light green 
color within, but on the 
outside they vary from al- 
most white to dark green. 
They are also marked with 
narrow brown lines, which 
slant from the apex of each 
valve. The mantle-border 
is generally quite rough, 
especially in large speci- 
mens, but sometimes we 
find it nearly smooth. The 
cut represents a large-sized 
specimen; ordinary ones are 
less than two inches in 
length. 

Mopalia Wosnessenskii, Midd., Wos-ness-en'-ski-i, 
is the ponderous name of another species. Though 
the Chinese are called Celestials, the ending u ski " 
refers us at once to the Russians, and we shall find 
names of this origin occasionally coming to light in 
the list of our shells. 




Fig. 97. 



no 



MOSSY CHITONS. 



Though this species has such an exalted name, 
still it is somewhat flattened, and the valve area 
increases from the narrow point to the wide center. 
The valves are sculptured, and though of a greenish 
color, they are sometimes marked with patches of 
red. The mantle-border is wide, more or less 
roughened, with a slit back of the last valve. The 
length is from an inch to two inches. This species 
is found along the coast of California, and also in the 
more northern waters of the Pacific. 

The mossy Chiton, Mopalia ciliata, Sby,, sil-i-a'-ta, 
is shown in Fig. 98. Under this head belongs M. 

muscosa, Gould, now consid- 
ered as only a variety of 
ciliata. 

This species can readily be 
told by its hairy mantle bor- 
der, which resembles the out- 
side of a chestnut-bur. The 
outside of the valves is sculp- 
tured, but they are often over- 
grown with corallines or moss- 
like polyzoans so that the 
sculpturing is obscure. The 
outside is dull and varies from 
Fig. 98. green to black, but the inside 

of the valves is light green. This species is common 
along a great stretch of the Pacific coast. The spec- 
imens are an inch or two in length. 

And now comes the Giant Chiton, Cryptochiton 
Stelleri, Midd., Cryp-to-ki'-ton Stel'-ler-i. When 
found whole it is a huge affair, six inches in length 
and three in breadth. In the last species we saw that 
the mantle had encroached upon the valves and had 




THE GIANT CHITON. 



Ill 




Fig. 99. 



nearly concealed them, but in this species the work is 
completed. The whole back of the animal is cov- 
ered with a hard, gritty, reddish brown mantle, which 
wholly conceals the eight white valves, one of which 
is shown in Fig. 99. 

These single valves are found much more often 

than the complete animal, 
and from their peculiar 
shape they are called But- 
terfly shells. Perhaps 
many who gather them 
are at a loss to know their 
origin, but a study of this 
very singular "butterfly", 
of the sea will reveal all 
the mystery. These 
valves are pure white and 
are about an inch and a half in breadth. 

In Fig. 99, we have the picture of a small speci- 
men of the Black Chiton, Katherina tunicata, Sby. , 
Kath-e-ri'-na tu-ni-ca'-ta, which was 
named in honor of Lady Katharine 
Douglass, who first sent a specimen to the 
British Museum. The outline is ellipti- 
cal, and the small white valves are nearly 
covered by the thick black mantle. This 
singular arrangement of the parts is so 
striking that it cannot be mistaken for 
any other species. Think of a smooth 
Fig. 100. black skin, rounded like a whale's back, 
and set with eight little shelly plates, and you will 
get the idea. The foot is of a reddish color, and the 
common length is two or three inches. It is especially 
abundant far to the north. 




112 LESS COMMON SPECIES. 

Less common Chitons include the following briefly 
described species: 

Leptochiton negates, Cpr. Minute, smooth, red- 
dish; southern. 

Chcztopleura gemma, Cpr. Small, narrow, highly 
sculptured, reddish brown. It is sometimes found at 
Monterey. 

Ischnochiton Cooperi, Cpr. Regular, richly sculp- 
tured, especially on the first valve. Sharply arched, 
brownish without, light green within; length an inch 
and a quarter. 

Ischiioplax pectinates, Cpr. Similar to the last, 
but with a rougher mantle; southern. 

Callistochiton decorates, Cpr. Small, regular in 
shape, quite sharp along the ridge, valves richly 
sculptured, each raised triangle being divided into 
two or more parts. Reddish or yellowish brown; less 
than an inch in length; southern. 

Callistochiton palmtclatus, Cpr. Small, high arched, 
valves marked with raised sculpturing. One of both 
of the end valves are greatly thickened and marked 
with radiating grooves. Length somewhat over half 
an inch; dark brown; southern. 

Callistochiton fimbriates, Cpr., is another southern 
species, similar to the last in form and size; sharply 
arched, narrow, end valves not much thickened, rare. 

Mopalia Hijidsii, Gray. Low arched, marked with 
faint sculpturing, mantle border covered with minute 
scales. Nearly black on the outside but white within. 
Length from an inch to two inches. The specimens 
before me were collected at Bolinas, Cal. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Tooth Shell— Indian Money — The Violet Snail — 
Siphonaria — Fresh- Water Limpets — Carnifex Nkw- 
berryi — The Helisomas — The Physas of the Brooks 
— Sinistral Shells in Variety. 

A STRANGE little shell is that shown in Fig. 101, 
and a fairy tale could it tell of the life of its. 
little inhabitant. Shaped like the tusk of an ele- 
phant, pure white, slightly curved, and open 
at both ends, it differs widely from all the 
shells which we have so far considered. 

The name of this little creature is Dent a- 

lium pretiosum, Nutt, Den-ta'-li-um pre-shi- 

o'-sum, and it is found chiefly in the vicinity 

Fig. mi. f Puget Sound. The species has also been 

named Indianorum, Cpr. ; we will call it the Precious 

Tooth-shell. 

The mollusk is not so highly organized as some of 
its neighbors, and it spends its life in the sand. The 
large end of the shell opens downward, and from its 
aperture projects the foot, with which it is able to dig. 
From the small end which projects above the sand, it 
can throw out little tenacles, which ensnare the infu- 
soria and other minute animals upon which it feeds. 
In olden times the Indians used these shells as 
money, stringing them upon long threads, and they 
were highly prized. This fact explains both the 

(8) 



114 SHELL MONEY. 

names which have been attached to the species, preti- 
oswn, meaning precious, and In-di-an-o'-rum, mean- 
ing u of the Indians. " They gathered the shells 
with a rude instrument, shaped like a comb with few 
teeth, fixed to the end of a spear. While his squaw 
slowly rowed the boat along, the brave Indian plunged 
his comb-like spear into the sand; if he made a suc- 
cessful thrust there would be one or more of 
these creatures caught upon the teeth of the comb; 
after the expedition they were prepared for stringing. 
This was the primitive way of l c making money ' ' on 
the Pacific coast. The shells vary from less than an 
inch to a considerably greater length. 

Dejztalium hexagonum, Sby., hex-ag'-o-num, is a 
southern species, having a shell white, delicate, ang- 
led, slightly curved, and about an inch long. 

Ianthina trifida, Nutt., Yan'-thi-na tri'-fi-da, Violet 
Snail. This little creature has habits very different from 
those of the Dentalium. Instead of burrowing in the 
sand, it lives far out in the open ocean. It is kept at 
the surface by a singular raft which it secretes, and it 
feeds upon small jelly-fishes. 

The shell is small and is shaped much like that of 
the land-snail. It is thin and delicate, and has a 
deep notch in the outer lip. The color is a deep vio- 
let, quite unlike that of any other shell. Though it 
usually lives far out at sea, sometimes shells get 
washed to the shore, but they are comparatively rare 
on our coast. 

Siphonaria peltoides, Dall, Si-fo-na'-ri-a pel-toi'-des, 
has a Limpet-shaped shell, small, thin, and low- 
arched, with the apex a little to one side of the cen- 
ter. The color is light brown with more or less darker 
rays, and its length is one-fourth of an inch or more. 



FRESH-WATER LIMPETS. 115 

The interior muscle scar is divided on one side by a 
siphonal groove, but this mark is not always very 
, distinct. This little mollusk lives upon rocks, between 
tides, and is quite rarely found. When disturbed, it 
gives out a milky fluid. 

Now we will turn from the saltwater for a little 
while and study the similar mollusks which live in 
the lakes and rivers. 

The first one we meet is very small, only one-eighth 
of an inch across and one-fourth of an inch long. It 
is the fresh-water Limpet, Ancylus fragilis, Tryon, 
An-syMus frag'-il-is. The shell is Limpet-shaped, 
narrow, thin, and of a light brown color. From 
Portland, Oregon. 

Ancylus subrotundus, Tryon, sub-ro-tun'-dus. Sim- 
ilar to the last, but more oval in outline. From The 
Dalles. 

Acroluxus Nuttalli, Hald M Ac-ro-lux'-us Nutt-all'-i, 
.^ja Fig. 102. The shell is Limpet-shaped, 

^ oa ^™ nearly circular in outline. Brown, thin 

Fig. 102. atl( j translucent, one-fourth of an inch or 
more in diameter; associated with the last species. 

Gundlachia Califomica, Rowell, Gund-lak'-i-a Cal- 
i-for'-ni-ca. Very minute, limpet-shaped, with a 
small shelf across part of the aperture. It is found 
on the stems of plants growing in stagnant ponds. 

There are mollusks in almost every brook and 
pond in the country. Every boy will be sure to find 
them if he carefully turns over the stones and 
examines the old sticks and leaves which have fallen 
into the water. 

They feed almost wholly upon vegetable matter ; 
some of them eat the green conferva^ that is, the 
slimy vegetation which abounds in stagnant water. 



Il6 MARSH MOLLUSKS. 

Others gnaw out the pulp of fallen leaves, and thus 
manufacture those leaf skeletons which we find in 
the brooks. They creep along the bottom, or up the 
stems of plants, and occasionally they come to the 
surface to breathe. 

The members of this family are called the Limnce- 
idcz, which means the marsh mollusks. The first of 
this numerous family which we shall consider, is 
named Pompholyx effusa, Lea, Pom-fo'-lyx ef-fu'-sa. 
The first name means a bubble, hence we might 
expect to find that it has a thin, globular shell, as we 

really see in Fig. 103. 

The spire is exceedingly short, and the 

aperture is nearly circular and very large. 

The length and breadth of the shell are 

Fig. 103. each about one-fourth of an inch. The 

shell is horny, and sometimes it is ribbed. It is 

found in Oregon and Nevada, and there are several 

varieties which differ slightly in appearance. 

A very distinct and characteristic shell is shown in 
Fig. 104, and bears the name of Camifex Newberryi, 

Binn., Car'-ni-fex New-ber'-ry-i. 

The whorls are few and are flattened at 

the top ; both above and below they are 

terminated by sharp angular keels. Urn- 
Fig. 104. bilicus large, shell thin and horny, one- 
fourth of an inch in breadth ; from lakes. 

Gyraulus vermicularis, Gld., Ji-rau'-lus ver-mik-u- 
la'-ris. This little species has a flattened shell, con- 
sisting of about three rounded whorls, and is only 
one-eighth of an inch in diameter. My specimens 
are from Oakland, Cal. The generic name is inter- 
esting because it was originated by Agassiz, in the 
year 1837. The specific name was given by Dr. 
Gould. 




HELISOMA. 117 

Gyraulus parvus, Say, par'-vus. Shell very flat, 
consisting of a coil of the fine, horn-like shell-tube. 
Whorls about four in number, and the whole only 
one-eighth of an inch in diameter. From Oregon 
and California. 

Menetus opercularis, Gld., Men'-e-tus o-per-cu-la 7 - 
ris. This species, likewise, has a flattened, coiled 
shell, sometimes nearly plane above, with an oblique 
aperture and a conspicuous umbilicus ; it is about 
one-fourth of an inch in diameter. 

Helisoma ammon, Gld., He-li-so'-ma am'-mon, is 
shown in Fig. 105. The shell of this fresh-water 
mollusk, which is found in the San Joaquin river, is 
in the form of a flattened tube, 
coiled horizontally so that a cup- 
shaped depression is left on either 
side. As the animal grows it w r inds 
its shell round and round in the 
same plane, and does not build in 
Fig. 105. the spiral form like most of the mol- 

lusks. The aperture is large and ear-shaped. The 
outside of the shell is of a rich, yellowish brown 
color, but it is white within the aperture.. The 
lines of growth are very distinct, and mark the shell 
in a pleasing manner. Its breadth is from half an 
inch to an inch. 

Helisoma bicarinatus, Say, bi-car-i-na'-tus, resem- 
bles the last but is much smaller. Whorls with a 
sharp angle or keel, both above and below the suture. 
The specimens before me were collected in Portland, 
Oregon. 

Now we come to a fresh-water mollusk that is very 
widely spread, and many of its varieties have 





Il8 THE BROOK SNAIL. 

received special names. They are, however, essen- 
tially alike, and may all be included 
nnder the name Helisoma trivolvis, 
Say, tri-vol'-vis, the general form of 
which is shown in Fig. 106. The shell 
tube is wound in a coil, consisting of 
Fig. 106. about four whorls. The color is light 
brown, and the aperture is irregular. The diameter 
of the coil is from one-fourth to three fourths of an 
inch. Some of the names of the varieties are given 
for the convenience of those making exchanges. 
They are corpulentus, fragilis, occidentalism fallax, 
lumens and Oregonensis. 

In the brook which runs past Mills College I have 
caught many specimens of the little Water-snail, 
Physa heterostropha, Say, Fi'-sa het-e-ros'-tro-pha, 
shown in Fig. 107. It is common in brooks 
and streams over much of the Pacific Slope, 
as well as east of the Rocky mountains. The 
shell is thin and delicate, of a light horn 
color, with a small spire, a sinistral ( left- 
Fig- 107- handed ) aperture, and commonly is about 
half an inch in length. The animal is black or 
nearly so, and when the shell is inhabited it appears 
much darker than when it is empty. 

It is amusing as well as instructive to put some of 
these little creatures in a jar of water and watch their 
movements. Sometimes they will quietly remain at the 
bottom, eating the pulp of an alder leaf which you 
have given to them; then they will rise to the surface 
to take a breath of fresh air and slowly sink back 
again, or perhaps they will crawl along, shell down- 
ward, apparently clinging with their foot to the sur- 
face of the water — an apparently impossible feat but 
they do it nevertheless. 




PHYSA. II9 

They make little nests of transparent jelly, filled 
with minute eggs, and attach them to the side of the 
jar, where you can easily watch the development of 
the embryos. In my jar the little things came out 
after twenty days, each with a perfect shell, and 
began life on their own account. Suppose you put 
such a jar in your school-room. 

This species, as well as the last, has many varie- 
ties — as ancillaria, propinqua, diaphana and virginea. 

Physa politissima, Try on, from Oregon, has a bril- 
liant shell with a dark line near the edge of the outer 
lip. I should consider it but a variety of the wide- 
reaching heterostropha. 

This last name is the Greek for u turning-the- 
other-way, n though all the Physas have sinistral 
shells and may thereby be recognized at the first 
glance. 

Physa costata, Newc, cos-ta'-ta, has a very small, 
thin shell, with a somewhat ribbed or corrugated sur- 
face. From Clear Lake, California. 

Physa Gabbi, Tryon. Spire small, consisting of 
three or four minute whorls. Body whorl large, 
aperture large also, outer lip broad and full. Speci- 
mens from Portland, Oregon, are light horn-colored, 
and from one-half to a whole inch in length. 

Physa Carltonii, L,ea, Carl-to''-ni-i. Body whorl 
full and round, horn-colored; outer lip marked inter- 
nally with stripes of dark brown; length, three- 
fourths of an inch. From near Antioch, California. 
Named in honor of its worthy discoverer, Mr. H. P. 
Carlton. 

Physa Cooper 7, Tryon, Coop'-er-i, named for 
another eminent conchologist, has a small, slender 



120 OTHER SINISTRAL SHELLS. 

shell, which somewhat resembles a very small grain 
of wheat. From Santa Barbara, California. 

Quite resembling the Physas, but with a longer 
spire, comes Bidinus hyft?iortim, Linn., Bu'-li-nus 
hyp-no'-rum, Fig. 108. The minute apex is 
rounded, the sutures distinct and oblique, the 
whorls six or seven in number, and the aper- 
ture of moderate size. The color is light 
brown, and the surface is verj r smooth and 
glossy. The length is three-fourths of an 
Fig. 108. inch. The specimen illustrated came from 
Box Elder county, Utah. 

Physella Columbiana, Hemphill, Fi-sel'-la Co-lum- 
bi-an'-a, is the last in this instructive group. It has 
a pretty little sinistral shell, consisting of a short 
spire and a very round and full body whorl, with an 
ample aperture. It is of a brown color, but the 
curved columella is often white. Its length is half 
an inch, and it lives, as its name indicates, in the 
Columbia river. 




CHAPTER XVII. 

Dextral Sheiks Again — Species of Limnophysa — A 
Brother's Tribute — The Two Great Limnjbas — 
Ear-Shells — Carychium and Melampus — Torna- 
tina and the barrel-shell — bubble-shells — sea- 
Slugs and Their Beauty — Farewell to the Ocean 
Home. 

LEAVING now the left-handed Physas, let us 
examine their dextral neighbors, which also live 
in lakes and streams, and are similar in their habits 
to those we have studied. Nearly all fresh-water 
shells are covered with a greenish brown epidermis, 
and where this becomes broken, as it frequently does, 
near the apex, the shell becomes eaten or eroded by 
the weak acids which are usually present in the 
waters of lakes and streams. 

Of the species which we are to notice, the first is 

named Leptolimncza Ktrtlandiaita, Lea, Lep-to-lim- 

ne'-a Kirt-land-i-an'-a, and a view of it is given in 

Fig. 109. The shell is dextral and somewhat 

cylindrical; the spire is long and five-whorled; 

the aperture is rather small and oval, and the 

columella is marked with a fold. The cut is 

somewhat magnified, as the natural size is 

from one-half to three-fourths of an inch. 

Fig. 109. prom near Logan, L^tah. 

Lwinophysa desidiosa^ Say, Lini-no-fi'-sa de-sid-i- 
o'-sa, has a slender, dextral shell, with a conspicuous 




122 FRESH-WATER SHELLS. 

spire of rounded whorls, which are separated by deep 
sutures. Aperture oval; umbilicus small, under the 
recurved lip; length, one-half an inch. From Wash- 
ington territory. 

Limnophysa bulimoides, Lea, bu-li-moi'-des. The 
first whorls are small, but the later ones increase 
rapidly in size, giving the shell a robust appearance. 
Aperture small, oval ; length, half an inch. From 
Idaho. 

Limnophysa humilis, Say, hu/-mi-iis, has a small 
and thin shell, the body-whorl of which is full, while 
the aperture is half the length of the shell. The 
latter is only a quarter of an inch long. It comes 
from southern California. 

Lim nophysa catascopium, Say, cat-a -sko'-pi-um . 
This species is very widely distributed, extending 
from New England westward. Spire distinct, whorls 
rounded, body-whorl full, shell very thin, half an 
inch in length. Specimens from near Oakland, Cal. 
The variety Adeline?, Tryon, from the vicinity of 
San Francisco, is considered by some as a distinct 
species. It was named for Miss Adeline Tryon, by 
her learned brother. 

Fig. no represents a large specimen of Limno- 
physa caper ata, Say, ca-pe-ra'-ta. The spire con- 
sists of five rounded whorls, the aperture is 
oval, and the outer lip is slightly reflexed. 
The shell is horn-colored, and is half an inch 
or more in length. The specimens before me 
were collected in Idaho and Utah, but the 
species ranges over a large part of North 
Fig. no. America. The variety Binneyi belongs to 
this species. 




LIMN^EA. 



123 



Limnophysa proximo,, Lea, prox'-i-ma. Spire 
rather long and slender, lip reflexed, body-whorl 
partly divided into small, flattened squares, like ham- 
mered silver. The shell is nearly an inch in length. 
The specimens described came from near Ogden, 
Utah. It is also found near San Francisco, and else- 
where in California. 

The next species, shown in Fig. 111, is named 
Limnophysa (or Limnced) palustris, Mull., pa-lus r - 
tris. It is found all round the world — in 
Northern Europe, Asia and America. The 
whorls are rounded, five or six in number, 
and the aperture is of moderate size, shorter 
than the spire. The shell is horn-colored' 
like most of its relatives. It grows some- 
times to considerably over an inch in 
length. Among its varieties are elodes, 
en. expansa, Gabbi and Nuttalliana. 

Limncza stag7<ialis, Linn., Lim-ne'-a stag-na'-lis, 

Fig. 112, is the largest of this class of fresh-water 

mollusks, and is universally distributed, 

both in this country and in the Old 

World. It is a very distinct species, 

and can instantly be recognized. Spire 

very slender, body-whorl and aperture 

very large; shell thin and delicate. It 

grows sometimes to the length of nearly 

two inches. This mollusk inhabits 

lakes and rivers, and is found on the 

Sierras, in Utah, and in many other 

Fig. 112. localities. 

Limncra am pi a, Mighels, has a small, very thin shell, 

nearly globular in shape, and one-fourth of an inch 





124 THE EAR-SHELLS. 

in length, as shown in the specimens from Sonoma 
county, California; but it grows to a very much larger 
size in Maine, where it was discovered in 1842. 

The Auriculidae or Ear-shells inhabit salt marshes 
and seem to love brackish water. They have strong 
shells with short spires, and narrow, ear-shaped 
apertures. 

The first of our species is named Alexia myosotis, 
Drap., A-lex'-i-a my-o-so'-tis. Its shell is brown, 
spindle-shaped, similar in size and form to a small 
grain of wheat. There is a distinct fold on the col- 
umella. Probably it was imported from Europe, as 
it is found around the Atlantic seaports, and also near 
San Francisco. 

Carychium exigimm, Say, Ka-rik'-i-um ex-ig'- 
u-um, is another little creature scattered through the 
east, and found also at Portland, Oregon. The shell 
is minute, whitish, with a distinct spire, consisting of 
five rounded whorls. The aperture is nearly circular 
and there is a distinct tooth on the columella. The 
length of the shell is about one-sixteenth of an inch. 
It is found about wharves and on stones which are 
sometimes covered by the tides. 

Melampus olivaceus, Cpr. , Me-lam'-pus ol-i-va'- 
se-us, is shown in Fig. 113. This species has a 
pretty little pear-shaped shell, with a short 
spire, an aperture long, narrow, and rounded 
at the base, and a columella marked by two 
folds. The color is dark brown, with lighter 
stripes and bands. Length, half an inch; 
Fig. 113. southern. 

Pedipes umsulcata y Cooper 9 Ped'i-pes u-ni-sul-ka'-ta. 
Spire short, body-whorl large and full, columella 
marked with very large and peculiar white folds. 



THE BARREL-SHELLS. I 25 

General surface light brown ; length one-fourth of an 
inch or less. 

The remaining species mentioned in this chapter 
inhabit the sea and are mostly carnivorous. 

Tornatina harpa, Dall, Tor-na-ti'-na har-pa, has a 
white shell with a short spire, a cylindrical body- 
whorl, and an aperture which is long, narrow, and 
curved at the base. The length is less than one- 
fourth of an inch. 

Tornatina incitlta, Gld., and Tornatina carinata, 
Gld., closely resemble the preceding species. They 
are found in the south, on mud flats between tides. 

Fig. 114 represents the shell of Tornatina, 
adciUlia^Qld., cul-si-tel'-la. It resembles 
the former three species in shape, but is much 
larger, sometimes growing to a length of 
nearly an inch. The color is brownish, and 
fresh specimens are banded with numerous 
Fig- in- m i cr oscopic striae. 

A pretty little shell is occasionally found upon the 
beach, having the form shown in Fig. 115. On 
account of its cylindrical shape and dark bands 
it commonly called the Barrel-shell. Its scien- 
tific name is Rhextaxis (or Tornatella) puncto- 
ccelata, Cpr., Rex-tax'-is punk-to-se-la'-ta. 
Fig. 115. Its length is about half an inch, and its form 
is oval. The whorls are few, and there is a fold on 
the columella. Its surface is pure white, crossed by 
two series of narrow black bands. 

Amphisphyra subquadrata, Cpr., Am-fis-fy'-ra sub- 
quad-ra'-ta. Minute, thin, spire depressed, body- 
whorl short and full. Whitish; one-eighth of an 
inch in length. 



126 



BUBBLE-SHELLS. 



Haminea virescens, Sby., Ha-min'-e-a vi-res'-sens. 
Shell very thin, bubble shaped; spire apparently 
wanting; aperture very large. It is of a greenish 
white color, and is half an inch long. It is found on 
mossy rocks along- the coast of southern California. 



The 
named 



White Bubble-shell 




shown in Fig. 116 is 
Haminea vesicula, Gld., ve-sik'-u-la. The 
figure gives a good idea of this thin, deli- 
cate shell. Its inhabitant is not a strict 
vegetarian, but devours small mollusks and 
crabs that happen to come to its home; it 
lives in muddy places along the shore of 
the ocean or near the mouths of rivers. 
It has a powerful gizzard armed with teeth, to crush 
any hard morsels which it may have swallowed. The 
shell is nearly white, and is an inch or less in length. 
You will notice that the aperture is extremely large, 
the spire depressed, and the whole shell quite like a 
bubble. 

And now in Fig. 117, we have our beautiful Cloudy 
Bubble-shell, Bulla nebulosa, Gld., Bul'-la neb-u- 
lo'-sa. It is a thin, polished, mottled shell, resemb- 
ling a large bird's egg. The spire 
is depressed, leaving a hole; more 
properly speaking, the body -whorl 
is elevated above the original spire. 
The shell is sometimes wholly 
brown, but in the finest speci- 
mens it is mottled with white and 
yellow clouds. Length, from an 
inch to two inches; southern; some- 
times found in great numbers. 

Somewhat similar in their ana- 
tomy to the last few species, come a 




NAKED MOLLUSKS. 1 27 

group of naked mollusks, or sea-slugs. They have 
no ornamental shells to attract our attention, but 
their bodies are often very brilliantly colored, so that 
when alive and swimming they are among the most 
beautiful objects of the sea. 

You will find some of them on sea-weed at low 
tide, looking like little lumps of soft tissue, without 
form or beauty; but when put into ajar of sea- water, 
they will extend their tentacles and expand their 
flower-like gills, and display their fine colors in all 
their glory. Some are white with scarlet trimmings, 
others are yellow with brown rings, while others 
have brilliant fringes of various hues. 

They are mostly small, even when extended, and 
measure but an inch or two in length. They cannot 
be preserved except in alcohol, and then their beauty 
is destroyed; hence they can be satisfactorily studied 
only at the seaside. 

And now, turning away from the great ocean home 
with its millions of creeping things, and from the 
lakes and streams and marshes with all their inhabit- 
ants, come with me to the land; let us search the 
fields and the groves, for there, too, we shall find our 
humble shell-bearing friends, patiently awaiting our 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Land-Shells — Amber-Snails — The Pupas — La Bril- 
lante — Nature of the Helices — Buparypha — Ari- 
onta — The Monterey Snail — The Coast Species — 
Island Snails. 



N 



OW that we have left the water, both salt and 
fresh, and are setting out for explorations on the 
dry land, we will approach our new field of oper- 
ations rather gradually, and will first examine those 
mollusks which lurk in damp places, though they 
seldom venture into water. The very nature of mol- 
lusks renders them fond of moisture, and during our 
dry summers they are obliged to suspend active oper- 
ations, and either retire into their shells and close up 
the opening, or else bury themselves in the earth and 
wait for the welcome winter rains. They breathe 
by means of a simple lung or air-sack, which 
usually opens on the right side of the body, as is 
plainly shown in the picture of the slug, Fig. 135. 

We will begin with an Amber-snail, Succinea Hay 
deni, W. G. Binney, Suk-sin/-e-a Hay'-den-i, Fig. 118. 
The Amber-snails are rather small mollusks, which 
love moisture, though they do not often enter the 
water. The amber- colored shell of this spe- 
cies is long, thin and few-whorled. The 
aperture is very large, and from its base you 
can look inside the shell to its very apex. 
The spire is small and consists of about three 
delicate whorls. The length of the whole 
Fig. us. shell i s three-fourths of an inch. From 
near Salt Lake, Utah. 




AMBER-SNAILS. 129 

Sttccinea Nuttalliana, Lea, Nut-tal-li-an'-a. Whorls 
somewhat more rounded than those of the last, and the 
aperture wider in proportion to its length. Shell 
light horn-colored, with distinct lines of growth, and 
a little smaller than that of the last species. The 
specimens were collected in Weber canon, Utah, but 
it is said to occur also in California and Oregon. 

Succinea Sillimani, Bland, Sil-li-man'-i. The spire 
of this shell, which was gathered near Stockton, Cal- 
ifornia, is extremely short, and the aperture is very 
large and does not narrow near the base. The shell 
is so very thin that it is nearly transparent, and it has 
but a trace of color. Its length is about half an inch. 

Sttccinea Oregonensis, Lea, Or-e-go-nen'-sis. Shell 
yellowish, spiral whorls few and well rounded, body 
whorl wide, aperture a perfect oval. Length about 
half an inch. From near Los Angeles, but found in 
other parts of California and in Oregon. 

Succtnea Gabbii,Tryon, is somewhat smaller. Spec- 
imens from Brigham City, Utah, are considered by 
Mr. Binney as a variety of the last species. 

Succtnea Stretchiana, Bland, Strech-i-an'-a, has a 
yellowish or greenish horn-colored shell, with few 
whorls and a rounded aperture. The whole shell is 
also quite full and rounded, and its length is less than 
half an inch. It is a mountain species, the specimens 
studied having been collected near Elko, Nevada. 

Fig. 119 shows the form of the little Succtnea 

avara, Say, a-va'-ra. The shell is horn-colored, and 

very thin and delicate. The three spiral whorls 

J\ are rounded, the body-whorl of moderate size, 

yj| and the aperture is ovate. The length is a 

quarter of an inch or more. Specimens before 

Fig. 119. me are from the Salmon River mountains of 

(9) 



130 PUPA. 

Idaho, also from near Los Angeles, California. It 
also occurs in the east. 

The Pupas, which we are next to consider, belong 
to a very ancient family, for the fossil shell of a little 
Pupa which was found in the coal mines of Nova 
Scotia, is the oldest land-shell that has ever been dis- 
covered. They take their name, evidently, from 
their resemblance to the pupa-case of an insect. 

The shells of all our species are small, some of 
them being so minute that they would not be noticed 
except by experienced eyes. 

The first one, shown in Fig. 120, bears the name 

Pupa Calif or nica, Rowell, Pu'-pa Cal-i-for'-ni-ca. 

Although the cut is small enough, still it gives 

I ft a greatly enlarged view 7 of the shell, and even 
^ the cross is too long to tell the truth. The shell 
is nearly cylindrical, with about five whorls, 
Fig. 120. an( j a small aperture on the sides of w r hich are 
four very minute white teeth. The color of the shell 
is brown. It has been found near Lone Mountain, 
in San Francisco, also in southern California, and it 
doubtless exists in other localities. 

Pupa Arisonensis, Gabb, Ar-i-zo-nen'-sis, is simi- 
lar in form to its California relative, but it is larger, 
being one-eighth of an inch in length. It has been 
found in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. 

Pupa Rowelli, Newcomb, Row-ell'-i, is a minute 
species, apparently but slightly different from Call- 
fornica, but more conical. It has been observed in 
several places in California, particularly near the city 
of Oakland, among rocks. 

Pupa Blandi, Morse, occurs in Dakota, Colorado, 
and also in L T tah, near Logan. Its shell is composed 



LA BRILLANTp;. 131 

of six distinct and rounded whorls. Its shape is cyl- 
indrical, the apex is rounded, the aperture small, with 
little teeth on the walls far inside the opening. Yel- 
lowish horn-colored; length, one-eight of an inch. 

Pupa corpulenta, Morse, cor-pu-len'-ta, is a minute 
species, having a shell of four whorls, and an aper- 
ture set with four teeth. Length, one-tenth of an 
inch. From Washoe county, Nevada, also from Utah 
and Colorado. 

Pupa muscorum, Iyinn., mus-co'-rum, is a circum- 
polar species, and is found in Nevada and Colorado. 
Whorls six or seven, rounded; aperture small; color 
dark chestnut; length about one-eighth of an inch. 

Ferussacia subcylindrica, Iyinn., Fer-rus-sa'-si-a 
sub-sil-in'-dri-ca, Fig. 121. 

The little creature to which this shell 
belongs lives chiefly in forests, concealing 
itself under leaves and the bark of dead 
trees. The shell is about the size and shape 
Fig. 121. of a grain of wheat, thin, dark horn-colored, 
very bright and glistening. There are five or six 
rounded whorls and a rather small, elliptical aperture. 
The specimen from which this figure was drawn 
came from Weber canon, but the same species exists 
in the east, and also in Europe. Owing to the great 
luster of the shell, it is known in France as ik la 
bfillante." 

The generic name for most of our land snails is 
Helix, He'-lix. They live in all countries, and the 
number of species is very great indeed. In 
general we may say that the Helix has a spiral shell 
and a soft body, which it can withdraw into the shell 
when it wishes to be concealed. The eyes are fixed 
upon long stalks, the tongue is set with minute, flinty 



132 HABITS OF THE HELICES. 

hooks or teeth, and the creeping disk or foot is 
crossed by many muscular fibres. When they move 
they leave a train of mucus behind, which dries into 
a glistening scale. Their motions are slow, and they 
are more active in the night than in the daytime. 

They love moisture and must have it; hence the 
dry summers of California would be fatal to them if 
they had no means of withdrawing themselves from 
active life during the rainless season. Even at the 
best they are not very abundant on our coast, and 
those which do live here are to be sought for chiefly 
under trees and bushes. 

Their food consists strictly of vegetables, and they 
prefer soft leaves, like those of the lettuce and cab- 
bage. All true snails have shells, but there are many 
naked slugs which greatly resemble the true snails, 
both in their habits and their structure. 

On account of the great number of species included 
under the genus Helix, many subdivisions have been 
made, based upon differences not very apparent to the 
the ordinary observer. In treating of our species, 
therefore, I shall give the old name, Helix, and also 
place in parenthesis the modern generic name, or the 
name of the section to which each species belongs. 

And first we have in Fig. 122, a good representa- 
tion of Helix {Euparyphd) Tryoni, Newcomb, 
Eu-par'-i-fa Try-o'-ni. The shell is 
strong and solid, globose conical, 
with a rounded apex and five reg- 
ular whorls. The surface is retic- 
ulated or cut into fine checks by 
the crossing of spiral threads and 
Fig. 122. t j ie \[ nes f growth. The color 

varies from white to brown, and the whorls are often 




ISLAND SNAILS. 1 33 

banded, while the upper half of each whorl is usually 
darker than the corresponding lower half. The animal 
is said to be black. The shell is about one inch in 
diameter. This species lives chiefly on Santa Barbara 
Island, off the coast of southern California. 

Helix (Arionta) intercisa, W. G. B., A-ri-on'-ta 
in-ter-si'-sa, is similar, in both size and shape, to the 
last species. The aperture is oblique and shaped like 
a horse-shoe; the umbilicus is small and partly con- 
cealed by the white, reflected lip. The surface is 
reticulated, and in some specimens the lines of 
growth are very conspicuous. The color is white or 
brown, and sometimes the whorls are obscurely 
banded. Chiefly from San Clemente Island, California. 

Helix {Arionta) Kelletti, Fbs., Kel-lett'-i. Shell ' 
consisting of six whorls, spire rather low, umbilicus 
nearly closed, aperture horse-shoe shaped. Shell 
smooth, color varying from whitish to brown, usually 
mottled, with a brown band around the center of the 
body whorl. Diameter about an inch. From Santa 
Catalina and San Clemente Islands. 

There are numerous varieties, as castaneus, minor, 
and Stearnsiana, Gabb. The last one is more 
globose, and is of an ashy color. It is found chiefly 
in Lower California, but it exists around San Diego. 
It is considered by Mr. Binney as a distinct species. 

Helix [Arionta) Nickliniana, Lea, Nik-lin-i-an'-a. 

This species has a fine, yellowish horn -colored 
shell, with a distinct band of dark brown. Spire 
moderately elevated, whorls six in number, lip white 
within, somewhat reflexed at the base, umbilicus dis- 
tinct, but not large. The diameter is an inch or less. 
This species is found near the coast of central Cali- 
fornia, and by some authorities it is considered as but 




134- THE CALIFORNIA HELIX. 

a variety of the following, shown in Fig. 123, and 
named Helix {Ariontd) Califomiensis, Lea, Cal-i-for- 
ni-en'-sis. 

The original specimens from which this species 
was named, came from Monterey, and it is in that 
region that it grows to perfection. 
Such a specimen has a nearly globu- 
lar shell, quite unlike that of any 
other of our snails. The shell is 
rather thin, of a light horn-color 
mottled with yellow, and is girdled by 
a narrow brown band. The surface 
Fig. 123. Q £ fae shell is cut up into fine, 

microscopic granules. Mr. Binney states that this 
species extends as far north as Mendocino county, and 
that it embraces many forms less globular than the 
original. 

I have found a few living specimens at Point Cyp- 
ress, and it is said that it may be found concealed at 
the base of the shrubby Lupine {Lupinus arboreus), 
which abounds at Monterey. The diameter is three- 
fourths of an inch or less. 

Helix {Ariontd) ramentosa, Gld. , ra-men-to'-sa, is 
considered by Mr. Binney as one of the above men- 
tioned varieties, though it seems quite different from 
the Monterey form. 

The specimens before * me were collected in Ala- 
meda and San Mateo counties, and I have recently 
discovered a colony of them living near my house, 
around an old oak-stump. * They resemble the last 
species in respect to the surface of their shells, for 
these are cut into innumerable checks, which are 
shown by a lens to consist of little oblong grains, 
arranged parallel to the lines of growth. The shell 



A COAST SPECIES. 1 35 

is more depressed and less globular than Fig. 123, 
and the umbilicus is small. The color is from light 
to dark brown, and a dark band runs around the 
whorls, but the rim of the lip is white. I have seen 
living specimens from a garden in the City of Ala- 
meda, and from the hills back of Oakland. The 
diameter is less than an inch. The epidermis of the 
young ones is studded with little bristles. 

Helix {Artonta) Diabloensis, J. G. Cooper, Di-ab- 
lo-en'-sis, has a flattened shell consisting of six 
whorls. Its surface is thickly marked with little 
depressions, like the dents caused by the blows of a 
small hammer. The aperture is oblique, the umbili- 
cus distinct, and the peristome or rim around the- 
aperture is white and reflexed. The shell is horn- 
colored, with a darker band. Its diameter is less 
than an inch. It is a species of the Coast range of 
central California, being named from its occurrence 
near Mt. Diablo. By some it is considered as but 
another variety of Calif orniensis. 

Helix {Artonta) arrosa, Gould, ar-ro'sa, Fig. 124, is 
a noble species living along the California coast, from 

Santa Cruz to Mendocino. 

The shell frequently grows 

quite large, an inch and a half 

in diameter, and is moderately 

conical in form. The seven 

whorls, which are from light 

to dark brown in color, are 

Fig. 124. banded with still darker 

brown. The umbilicus is distinct, and partly covered 

by the reflexed peristome. 

I once found fine specimens of this species enjoy- 
ing their summer sleep under the fallen leaves of 




136 OTHER SNAILS. 

some Buckeye trees, which grew on the hillsides, just 
east of Bolinas. 

There are several varieties, some of which are 
smaller than the cut. One of these varieties is usually 
classed as a distinct species, under the name of 
Arionta exarata, Pfr., ex-a-ra'-ta. It has a yellow- 
ish, roughened shell, about an inch in diameter, and 
is circled by a very distinct, dark chestnut band. 
The umbilicus is large and distinct, and the peristome 
is white. It is found in San Mateo and Marin coun- 
ties, California. 

Helix (Arionta) tiidicnlata, Binney, tu-dik-u-la'-ta. 
Shell large, rather thin, marked by numerous small 
indentations; umbilicus nearly or completely closed, 
peristome white, thickened near the umbilicus. The 
six whorls are of an olive brown color, and a rather 
wide band with a lighter space above and below it 
encircles the body whorl. Diameter from an inch to 
an inch and a quarter. This is a southern species, 
being found about San Diego, also ranging northward 
through Tulare and adjacent counties to the Sierras. 
Helix (Arionta) Townsendiana, Lea, Towns-end-i- 
a'-na, Fig. 125. 

This distinct species is a 
northerner, being found chiefly 
in Oregon and Washington 
Territory. The specimen from 
which the engraving was drawn 
was collected near Kalama, 
Fig. 125. Washington. 

Shell strong, five and one-half whorled, spire but lit- 
tle elevated, color yellowish or brownish, sometimes 
mottled; peristome turned outward and resembling a 
white horseshoe; umbilicus large and distinct. The 




THE RED-BANDED SNAIL. 1 37 

surface is marked by very many microscopic, spiral 
lines, which are crossed by roughened ridges. Diam- 
eter one inch or more. 

A smaller variety, named ptycophora, Brown, 
ti-kof-o-ra, is found in Idaho and Eastern Oregon. 
The shell is thin, nearly smooth, and is of a light 
horn-color, but it has the regular markings and the 
broad white peristome of the normal specimens. 

Helix {Arionta) ruficincta, Newcomb, ru-fi-sink'-ta. 

This species has a small, smooth shell with a low 
spire. The whorls number five or six, the umbilicus is 
distinct, and the peristome is white, rounded, and 
conspicuous. The shell is of a light horn-color, with 
a distinct, reddish brown band. It lives on Santa 
Catalina Island. 

Quite similar to the above but smaller, is Helix 
{Arionta) Gabbi, Newcomb, from the three islands tak- 
ing their names from the three saints, Santa Barbara, 
San Clemente and San Nicolas. I have seen a little 
Helix, called the "Holy Snail," because it lived its 
little life in Palestine; but if names are good indica- 
tions, what an odor of sanctity there ought to be around 
our little Helix Gabbi. But alas! even a holy name does 
not change the one who receives it, and so with these 
islands and the mollusks which live upon them. 

The shells of this species are about the size of 
large peas, being nearly smooth, with a more or less 
elevated spire and a rounded peristome. The shade 
varies from white to horn-colored, and a brown band 
is generally present. 

Helix facta, Newcomb, is but a variety of the same 
species, and Mr. Hemphill considers them all but 
varieties of ruficincta. 



138 SOUTHERN SPECIES. 

Helix (Arionta) Ayresiana, New comb, Ayrs-i-an'-a, 
is a species from three other islands with similar 
sacred names — Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Santa 
Cruz. The shell is quite strong, six-whorled, and 
has a considerably elevated spire and a distinct umbil- 
icus. The outer lip is sharp and is but slightly 
reflected at the umbilicus. Microscopic striae may be 
traced upon the shell. It is of a brown or chestnut 
color, and is usually girdled with a broad dark band. 
Its diameter is three-fourths of an inch. 

Helix (Arionta) Traski, Newcomb. This is a 
coast species found in the vicinity of Los Angeles. 
Whorls six, spire but little elevated, apex flattened, 
umbilicus distinct, peristome but little widened except 
near the umbilicus. Shell horn-colored, girdled by a 
dark chestnut band edged with yellow. The interior 
is white, but it shows the dark band. The surface 
is usually marked with microscopic striae. Its greater 
diameter is one inch. 

Arionta Carpenteri, Newcomb, is probably a vari- 
ety of Traski, but it has a more delicate shell. It 
comes from Coronado Island and Mexico. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

The Home of the Cypress — Its Wonderful Beauty — 
Picturesque Trees — The Point Cypress Snail — 
The Saucy Jays — The Mormon Snail — Helix Fide- 
lis — Glyptostoma — The Edible Snail — Species of 
Minute Snails — Mesodon — Vallonia — The Aste- 
risk. 

/^YPRESS POINT is a projection of land, a few - 
vy miles south of Monterey, which looks out boldly 
upon the broad Pacific ocean. The huge waves come 
rolling in and beat themselves into spray against its 
rugged cliffs, and the sweet breath of the ocean pours 
over the tree-tops and then rushes on across the hills, 
carrying health and vigor to the parched interior of 
the State. There is no more delightful spot on this 
beautiful earth than this same Point of the Cypress 
Trees, and whoever visits it carries away a picture of 
mingled wildness, sublimity and beauty. 

It is well named, for here, within the compass of 
a few score of acres, is the diminishing home of the 
cypress trees of California. From this little spot 
came the seeds which have developed into hundreds 
of miles of beautiful hedges, and tens of thousands 
of beautiful trees. 

The parent-trees are venerable specimens, blown 
by the strong sea-breezes into the most fantastic 
forms. Here is one on the very edge of the bluff; 
its trunk is horizontal, and its thick-leaved top slants 



140 THE CYPRESSES. 

up from the ground like the moss-covered roof of an 
ancient farm-house. Here stands another, grim and 
solitary, with a gnarled and twisted trunk upholding 
a close-reefed sail of bright green foliage. And there 
is a little group of them, kneeling together toward 
the east — like penitent pilgrims — yet showing by 
their defiant limbs, which are bent and knotted like 
the arms of wrestling giants, that although the proud 
west wind has brought them to their knees, still their 
spirit is not bent, and that they continually throw 
back his challenge, and will never yield their ground 
till the last green leaf has withered on their scant and 
flattened tops. 

In the midst of all this mingling of the beautiful 
and the picturesque is the home of a very humble 
but very interesting mollusk, the Point Cypress snail, 
Helix (Arionta) Dupetithonarsi, Desh., Du-pet-i-thou- 
ar'-si, shown in Fig. 126. During the summer 

months I have sought 
them under the old cyp- 
resses, and have found 
them quietly sleeping 
Fi - 126 - under old logs, behind 

pieces of loose bark, among the twigs forming a 
wood-rat's nest, and in other out-of-the-way places. 
Many empty shells also I found, to my great regret, 
for each one had a hole in the side or near the apex, 
showing that the occupant's life had been violently 
taken. For this act of vandalism the blue-jays were 
evidently responsible, and even while I was collect- 
ing my few specimens, these saucy birds stormed and 
scolded in the trees, as if I, and not they, was the 
real robber. I verily fear that these reckless maraud- 
ers will speedily rob Cypress Point of one of its chief- 
est attractions. 




CAPTIVE SNAILS. 141 

However, I took away quite a number of dormant 
specimens of the snail, as well as a good number of 
the best shells which the jays had dared to desecrate, 
and after a long summer's sleep I placed some of 
the former in a fernery, and sprinkled them with 
water. After a few hours they slowly pushed them- 
selves out into the open world and became quite lively, 
for snails, and seemed to enjoy their state of captivity 
to a very reasonable degree. One of these captives 
sat for his picture one fine day, and you see the result 
in the engraving. 

The shell is umbilicated and seven-whorled; the 
spire is low conical, and the outer lip but slightly 
thickened. The peristome is whitish, but the shell is. 
dark chestnut, with a still darker band, which is 
edged with equal stripes of light yellow. The animal 
is slate-colored, and its surface is covered with numer- 
ous little elevations. The diameter of the shell is 
three-fourths of an inch, sometimes larger. 

Helix (Ariontci) Mormonum, Pfr. , Mor-mo'-num. 

The shell of this species, as shown in Fig. 127, has a 

^^^§1^. flattened spire, a recurved lip, 

jgp ^ and a large umbilicus, and is 

Iv I! marked by a dark band with 

^llj ! whitish edges. Whorls six — 

flattened ; aperture oblique ; 
Flg - I27, color from reddish brown to 

almost white. 

This species inhabits the Sierra Nevada mountains, 
the first specimens having been found on Mormon 
island, in the American river; hence the name. 
They do not live in Utah, as one would at first sup- 
pose. The diameter of the shell is an inch or an 
inch and a quarter. 



142 



THE OREGON SNAIL. 



A shell has been sparingly found somewhat similar 
to the last, but whose whorls are ornamented with a 
spiral keel and numerous cross ribs. It was named 
circumcarinata, sir-cum-car-i-na'-ta, by Dr. Stearns, 
who considers it as only a variety of the last species, 
though it seems to have specific differences. 

Helix (Ariontd) sequoicola, Cooper, se-quoi'-co-la, 
meaning, u inhabiting the Sequoias, or redwoods." 
The shell of this species resembles the last figure in 
size and general form, but it has a more elevated 
spire. It is of a glossy chestnut color, and is marked 
by one dark and two light bands. The upper whorls 
have many microscopic granulations. It is found in 
the vicinity of the coast, near Santa Cruz. 

Helix {Aglaid) fidelis, Gray, A-gla'-ya fi-de'-lis, 
Fig. 128. 

This noble species is found 
in Northern California, Or- 
egon and Washington, and 
it extends as far east as the 
Cascade mountains. The 
shells vary much in size 
and color, but the larger 
Flg - I28 ' ones have a diameter of an 

inch and a half. 

Whorls seven, umbilicus partly concealed by the 
reflected peristome, surface marked by fine lines of 
growth. The color is always dark beneath, but the 
spire is sometimes lighter and marked by rich bands 
of black and yellow or light brown. 

To the south of the region occupied by this spe- 
cies, along the coast of California to the north of the 
Golden Gate, lives the variety infuwiata, Gould, for- 
merly considered as a distinct species, but now 




AN EDIBLE SPECIES. 143 

regarded as only a variety of fidelis. It is quite flat, 
and the body whorl has a sharp, angular edge. The 
shell has a peculiar cloth-like surface, and is of a 
nearly black color throughout. The umbilicus is dis- 
tinct, and the aperture is very oblique. The diameter 
of large specimens is an inch and a half. 

Of a shape similar to the last, but smaller, lighter 
colored, and beaded within the aperture, is the rare 
Helix Hillebrandiy Newcomb, Hil-le-brand'-i. This is 
a Sierra species, and is found in the counties of Cala- 
veras and Tuolumne. 

Fig. 129 gives us a basal view of 
a shell found in Southern Califor- 
nia, particularly around San Diego. 
The picture represents a small spec- 
imen, however, for large ones grow 
to a diameter of an inch and a half. 
Its name is Glyptostoma Newber- 
ryanum, W. G. Binney, Glyp-tos'- 
to-ma New-ber-ry-a'-num. The spire is flattened and 
the umbilicus is very large, distinctly showing the 
coil of rounded whorls. The lip of the aperture is thin 
and acute, the whorls six in number, and the color of 
the shell is nearly black. 

Helix (Pomatia) aspersa, Mull., Po-ma'-shi-a 
as-per'-sa, is a European species which has been 
introduced into this country on a limited scale, as an 
article of food. I have specimens from San Jose, 
California, where a small colony of them have lived 
in a sheltered spot for many years. 

The shell is large, sub-globose, and without an 
umbilicus. The whorls are four or five in number, 
the spire obtuse, and the aperture large. The shell 
is rather thin and its surface is marked by small 




144 THE MAXY-WHORLED SNAILS. 

wrinkles and lines. Color dark gray, with various 
bands of chestnut, crossed by threads of yellow. 
The diameter and height are about equal, an inch 
or more. As is well known, these creatures are highly 
esteemed in France and other countries of Europe by 
lovers of good things. The time may come when 
they will be abundantly raised in California for the 
same purpose. 

Gonostoma Yatesi, Cooper, Go-nos'-to-ma Yates 7 -!, 
is a little species found in Calaveras county, Califor- 
nia. The shell is very peculiar from the fact that the 
spire, instead of being elevated as in most shells, is 
considerably depressed. The whorls are wound round 
and round one another in a horizontal plane, and as 
the shell-tube grows larger and larger it leaves a hol- 
low both above and below. Whorls seven, aperture 
crescent shaped, color yellowish brown, diameter one- 
fourth of an inch. 

Polygyrella polygyrella, Bland, Pol-y-gy-rel'-la, is 
the singular name of a little snail, having a many- 
whorled spire but slightly elevated, an aperture 
guarded by a white tooth on the inner wall, and an 
umbilicus large and open. A curious feature of this 
shell is that one or more sets of little white teeth may 
be seen inside the body-whorl through the transpar- 
ent, horn-colored shell. Its diameter is less than half 
an inch. It is found in Idaho, on the Coeur d'Alene 
Mountains, especially in spruce forests. 

Polygyra Harfordiana, Cooper, Pol-y-gy'-ra Har- 
ford-i-a'-na, has an umbilicated, flattened shell of four 
whorls, with an aperture guarded by three teeth, one 
on the inner wall and two on the white, reflected per- 
istome. The shell is horn-colored. It is found on 
high elevations in Fresno county, California. 



MESODON. 145 

Triodopsis loricata, Gld., Tri-o-dop'-sis lor-i-ca'-ta. 

The shell of this little creature is only a quarter of 
an inch in diameter, but it is a perfect five and a half 
whorled spiral, having an open umbilicus and a 
slightly raised spire. The aperture is irregular, with 
a white tooth on the columella and two white, thick- 
ened spots on the outer lip; the surface of the shell 
is light horn-colored. It is found near Oakland, Cal- 
ifornia, and in other parts of the state. 

An Oregonian species, which we will now consider 
and which may be easily recognized by its peculiar 
features, is named Mesodon devius, Gould, Mes'-o-don 
de'-vi-us. The shell is yellowish horn-colored, solid, 
and six-whorled; the umbilicus is partly covered, and 
the peristome is white, wide, and bent back at right 
angles to the walls of the aperture. There is a dis- 
tinct white tooth on the inner wall of the aperture, 
and sometimes one or more waves on the peristome. 
There are several varieties which range in diameter 
from a half to a whole inch. 

Mesodon Columbtamis, L,ea, Co-lum-bi-a'- nus. 
Fig. 130. 

The shell of this little snail greatly re- 
sembles some varieties of the last species. 
Its spire is more acute, and the epidermis 
on the upper whorls is set with short, stiff, 
Flg ' I3a microscopic hairs, making the shell feel 
rough. Whorls six, umbilicus small, peristome wide, 
reflected, whitish, aperture ear-shaped. In some 
varieties, as shown in the cut, there is a small white 
tooth on the inner wall of the aperture. The shell is 
of a light horn-color, and its diameter is over half an 
inch. It is found chiefly in Oregon and Washing- 
ton, but it extends into California, and even into 
Alaska. < 10 > 




146 MINUTE SNAILS. 

Microphysa Lansingi, Bland, Mi-cro-fy'-sa Lan'- 
sing-i, has a minute, flattened shell, consisting of 
five or six horn-colored, shining whorls, without an 
umbilicus. The aperture is long and narrow, the 
outer lip sharp and thin, and the diameter of the 
whole shell is less than one-eighth of an inch. It is 
found among damp leaves in the vicinity of Portland, 
Oregon. 

Mycrophysa Ingersolli, Bland. The shell of this 
species is white, very thin, and almost transparent. 
The umbilicus is distinct, the spire greatly flattened, 
the whorls five and a half in number, the aperture 
crescent-shaped, and the outer lip thin. The greatest 
diameter of the shell is a quarter of an inch. It is • 
found in eastern Oregon and in Colorado. 

Vallonia pulchella, Mull., Val-lo'-ni-a pul-kel'-la. 
This is another little mollusk, whose shell consists of 
four rounded whorls, arranged in a flattened spiral 
form. The umbilicus is large and open, the aper- 
ture nearly circular, the peristome white, reflected, 
and forming a nearly complete circle. The shell is 
white, thin, and in our variety it is usually marked 
by cross ribs. Its diameter is barely an eighth of an 
inch. The species is very widely distributed, being 
found in northern countries all round the world. 
The specimen described was found in Logan canon, 
Utah. It is found also in Nevada, Idaho and Ari- 
zona. 

Helix (Patiild) striatella, Anthony, Pat'-u-la stri-a- 
telMa. The specimens of this shell were collected 
near the same locality as those of the last, and its 
American range is also similar. It resembles the 
last in general shape, having four whorls, a large 
umbilicus, a circular aperture, and low cross ribs ; 



AN EASTERN SPECIES. 1 47 

but it is horn-colored, has a thin and sharp lip, and 
is about three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter. 

Patula Cronkheitei, Newcomb, is slightly larger 
than the last, but is very similar, and may be but a 
variety. From northern localities. 

Helix (Patula) solitarta, Say, sol-i-ta'-ri-a. This 
species is essentially an eastern one, being partic- 
ularly abundant near the Ohio river; nevertheless it 
is found in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington Terri- 
tory. The specimens before me were collected at 
Walla Walla, Washington Territory. The shell is 
low conical, has five whorls, a large, circular umbili- 
cus, and a sharp outer lip. It is of a yellowish brown 
color and the whorls are marked by two dark brown 
bands with a lighter stripe between them. Its dia- 
meter is three-fourths of an inch or more. 

Helix {Patula) asteriscus, Morse, as-te-ris'-cus. 
This is a very small snail, being about one-sixteenth 
of an inch in diameter. Spire low, whorls four, 
umbilicus large, lip thin, whorls marked by many 
minute, sharp cross ridges; color brown. Widely 
distributed, the specimens studied having been col- 
lected among grass roots at Bolinas, Cal. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Patula Strigosa — Its Many Forms — The Zonitks — 
Many Species — Macrocyclis — The Glass-Snail — 
The Slugs — Limax — Ariolimax Columbianus — A 
Valuable Reference-Book. 

THE most abundant snail found between the Rocky 
and Sierra Nevada mountains bears the name 
Helix {Patula) strigosa, Gould, Pat'-u-la stri-go'-sa. 
It assumes very many forms, one of which is shown 
in Fig, 131. Another variety has a smooth surface, 
and in general form closely resem- 
bles Fig. 127, on a previous page. 
The shell has a broad umbilicus, 
a nearly circular aperture, and a 
sharp lip. The whorls are five in 
Fig. 131. number, and in most specimens the 

spire is low. The whorls of some varieties are 
crossed by distinct ribs, in others, as shown in Fig. 
131, they are banded by raised, spiral ridges, while 
the shells of many specimens are almost smooth. 
The w T horls of many of the shells are marked with 
two brown stripes, but some are quite destitute of 
this ornament. The average diameter of the shell is 
rather less than an inch, though some specimens are 
much smaller. 

The fine set of specimens of this greatly varying 
species, belonging to the cabinet of Mills College, 
were mostly collected from different parts of Utah by 
Mr. Henry Hemphill, whose investigations upon this 
species have been of the greatest value to science, and 





A VARYING SPECIES. 1 49 

for whose help in various ways I would express sin- 
cere thanks. I will not attempt to describe the 
numerous varieties, but will simply mention by 
name — Cooperi, Haydeni, Newcombi, Hemphilli^Gab- 
biana, Wasatchensis, Oquirrhensis, Gonldi, Binneyi, 
albofasciata, castanea, Utahensis and miilticostata. 
In one of Mr. Hemphill's published letters he signifi- 
cantly remarks, 4 ' The field is very large, * * * 
and no doubt many more varieties of strigosa are just 
waiting for the catcher. " 

Helix (Patula) Idahoeitsis, Newc, I-da-ho-en'-sis, 
is shown in Fig. 132. Shell small, strong, white. 
Spire elevated, consisting of five whorls, 
which are crossed by many blunt ribs. 
Umbilicus small, aperture nearly circular. 
The shell as a whole is nearly spherical in 
Fig. 132. ghape^ its diameter being equal to its height, 
which is only half an inch. Even this species is now 
considered as an extreme variety of strigosa. As its 
name indicates, it is an inhabitant of Idaho, the one 
from which this figure was drawn coming from the 
Salmon River mountains. 

Several species of the genus Zonites, Zo-ni'-tes, 
now follow in our train of study. They are all small, 
having spiral shells, usually with rounded whorls and 
an open umbilicus. 

Zonites arboreus, Say, ar-bo'-re-us, has a spire of 
four or five whorls, so much flattened that the shell 
appears nearly like a circular disk. Shell smooth, 
amber-colored, very thin and almost transparent. 
Diameter somewhat over an eighth of an inch. This 
species which hides under leaves and among bushes, 
inhabits all North x\merica. The specimen described 
was collected at Los Angeles. A variety, Z. Breiveriy 



150 ZONITES. 

Newc, with a somewhat thicker shell, comes from 
northern California. 

Zonites viridulus, Menke, vi-rid'-u-lus, is similar 
in shape to the last, small, very thin and transparent, 
of a slightly greenish tinge; the animal is said to be 
bluish black. This species also is widely scattered, 
the specimens described coming from Seattle. 

Zonites fulvus, Drap., ful'-vus. Shell small, thin, 
somewhat conical, without umbilicus; whorls five or 
six, narrow, suture distinct, aperture narrow and 
oblong, color light amber, diameter one- eighth of an 
inch. It is found in Europe, Asia and North Amer- 
ica; the specimens described came from near Salt Lake. 

Zonites conspectus, Bland, con-spek'-tus. Shell 
very small, with an umbilicus, and a moderately ele- 
vated spire of four whorls, which are marked by fine 
cross ribs. Horn-colored; diameter one-sixteenth of 
an inch. Found in Alaska, Oregon, California and 
Colorado. The specimens described were gathered 
near San Francisco. 

For the further study of these minute species the 
best book to consult is the u Bulletin of the United 
States National Museum, No. 28." It is entitled, 
U A Manual of American Land Shells. By W. G. 
Binney." It is published at Washington, D. C, 
under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution. 

Zonites Whitneyi, Newc, Whit'-ney-i. Shell thin, 
spire scarcely elevated, whorls four, the last one 
being much the largest, umbilicus small, aperture 
somewhat circular, diameter nearly one-fourth of an 
inch; from the Sierras, also from Emigrant canon. 

Zonites cellarius, Miiller, sel-la'-ri-us. The shell 
of this little snail is thin, fragile, translucent, smooth, 
and of a greenish yellow color. The spire is but 



AN INTRODUCED SNAIL. 151 

slightly elevated, the whorls five in number, and the 
umbilicus of moderate size. Diameter one-fourth of 
an inch. It is a European species, but has been 
widely distributed by commerce. Specimens were 
kindly sent me from Portland, Oregon, by Mr. Harry 
E. Dore. 

Zoitites milium, Morse, mil'-i-um, is an extremely 
small snail, not larger than the head of a pin. 
Whorls three, umbilicus large, shell conical, whitish, 
marked by cross striae; lip sharp and thin. This 
minute shell is found throughout a large part of the 
United States. The specimens before me are from 
San Diego. 

Do not be weary, kind reader, of the seeming repe- 
tition of characteristics, but rather rejoice in the 
almost endless variety of living things which the 
Creator has placed upon this earth, each one display- 
ing some new peculiarity, and no one, doubtless, 
made in vain. 

Macrocyclis Duranti, Newc, Mak-ro-si'-klis Du- 
rant'-i. Shell consisting of a small, flattened coil; 
whorls four, umbilicus large and open; color dull or 
greenish white, diameter one-fourth of an inch or 
less. This species is found in Lower California, on 
several islands, and also near the cities of San Fran- 
cisco and Los Angeles. 

Fig. 133 represents the shell of Macrocyclis I r oyana } 
Newc, Voy-an'-a. It is similar in shape and color 
to that of the last, but is larger. Aperture 
flattened, notched near the suture; diameter 
about half an inch. This species inhabits 
the coast region of California. 

Macrocyclis sportclla, Old., spor-tel'-la. 
of five whorls, flattened, similar in general 





152 MACROCYCLIS. 

shape to the last species; lines of growth distinct, 
aperture somewhat oblong, with the lips bent near 
the suture. The color is yellowish green, and the 
diameter of the largest specimens is nearly an inch, 
though many are much smaller. The specimens 
described are from Freeport and Olympia, Wash. Terr. 
Macrocyclis Vancouverensis, Lea, Van-cou-ver-en'- 
sis, Fig. 134. Spire flattened, umbilicus large, aperture 
nearly straight above, lip sometimes bent dowmward 
near the suture. Whorls five, quite 
smooth and covered with a yellowish 
green epidermis. Interior of shell white, 
inner wall of the aperture covered 
with a thin, white callus. Diameter 
of shell about one inch, height half as much. It is 
found from Alaska to San Francisco, also in Idaho 
and Montana, where the shells are smaller than those 
on the coast. It is more common in Oregon and 
Washington Territory. The cut represents a sinistral 
specimen, but the ordinary form is dextral. 

Macrocyclis Hemphilli, W. G. Binney, is probably 
a variety of the last species, smaller and with a nar- 
rower umbilicus. From the Oregon region. 

Mr. Hemphill is of the opinion that all these 
examples of Macrocyclis are but varieties of only one 
species. The animals are snail-like, with long eye- 
stalks, and are said to be carnivorous. 

Vitrina Pfeifferi, Newc, Vit-ri'-na Fi'-fer-i, Glass- 
snail. This little snail, which is found at high alti- 
tudes in California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico, 
has a very thin, depressed shell, consisting of three 
whorls, of which the last is by far the largest. 
Aperture very large, oblique, rounded. Nearly trans- 
parent, greenish white, one-fourth of an inch in 
diameter. 



GLASS-SNAIL. 1 53 

Helicodiscus lineatus, Say, He-li-co-dis'-cus lin-e- 
a'-tus, has a minute, flattened shell, one-eighth of an 
inch in diameter, shaped like a depressed, circular 
disk. Whorls four, visible from below as well as from 
above. Within the outer whorl may be seen two or 
three pairs of white, conical teeth, The epidermis 
is greenish, and numerous fine lines cross the whorls. 
It lives in many places in the east, and is reported 
from Oakland, California. 

There remain several mollusks which are either 
wholly destitute of a shell, or are only partially cov- 
ered by. one that is small or rudiamentary. These 
animals are called slugs, in distinction from the snails, 
which bear well developed shells. 

The first one on our list is named Bimieya notabilis, 
Cooper, Bin'-ney-a no-tab'-i-lis. It is found on Santa 
Barbara Island, and also in Mexico. The body of 
this mollusk is whitish, with many dark blotches on 
its sides. The shell is about the size and shape of 
your little finger nail, spiral at one extremity, and 
open and flattened at the other. It is of a yellowish 
horn-color. 

Hemphillia glandulosa, Bl. and Bin., Hemp-hill'- 
i-a glan-du-lo'-sa. 

This curious little slug lives in Oregon and Wash- 
ington. When extended it is about an inch long. 
On its back is a hump, and on the hump is a shell, 
brownish, flattened and scale-like, one-fifth the length 
of the animal. Its color is white, mottled with dark 
brown. 

Prophysaon HempJiilli, Bl. and Bin., Pro-iV-sa-oii 
Hemp-hill'i. 

Animal slug-like, large and thick in front, tapering 
behind. The body is of a smoky white color, marked 



1 54 SLUGS. 

with many dark lines, somewhat resembling the veins 
of a leaf. Under the mantle on the back is a small, 
thin, six-sided shell. A line separates the foot from 
the body. Its length is from an inch to two inches. 
The specimen before me is from Portland, Oregon, 
but it is also found down the coast into California. 

Limax Hewstoni, Cooper, Li'-max Hews'-ton-i. 

This slug is found in San Francisco, and a variety 
which is perhaps the same exists in Portland and 
other places. The body is two inches long or less, 
narrow and high, black above, paler on the sides, and 
whitish on the base of the foot. There is a minute 
internal plate on the back. 

Limax montanus, Ingersoll, mon-ta'-nus, is a small, 
bluish gray slug, about an inch long, found in Colo- 
rado and Utah. 

Ariolimax niger, Cooper, A-ri-o-li'-max ni'-jer. 

The body is long and narrow, blunt in front, and 
tapering but little behind. When crawling, the ani- 
imal is some two inches in length, but when at rest, 
as it may be found under old boards and in similar 
places, it is so contracted that it is hardly one inch 
long. 

Its color is quite dark, sometimes being nearly 
black, especially on the upper surface of the body; 
but I have found specimens which were much lighter, 
almost an ashy gray. This species is common in 
Alameda county, California, and in the neighboring 
regions. 

Ariolimax Hemphilli, W. G. B., is a very slender, 
flesh-colored slug, an inch or two long, found at Niles, 
Alameda county, and it probably lives in the sur- 
rounding region. 



ARIOLIMAX. 



155 



Finally, we have in Fig. 135, a representation of 
the huge yellowish green slug, so common in the 
woods and damp places along the whole coast of the 
Pacific states. 




Fig- 135. 

A short evening walk under the trees is almost 
sure to reveal one or more of these harmless but 
rather startling creatures, quietly moving over the 
ground, and leaving a glistening trail in lieu of foot- 
steps. They frequently grow to the length of six or 
seven inches, and look as if they were exceedingly 
well fed. 

As you would suppose, they are seen most in damp 
weather; for during the dry summers many of them 
descend into cracks or holes in the ground, though 
some linger in shady woods, particularly about springs 
and marshy places. The name of this great slug is 
Ariolimax Columbianus, Gould, Co-lum-bi-a'-nus; 
though there is another slug which scarcely differs 
externally from this one, but which is considered as 
a different species on account of a difference in some 
of its internal organs. The name of this second 
species, which is not so widely distributed as the first, is 
Ariolimax Call formats, Cooper. 

For a careful discussion of these and other obscure 
points, and for directions concerning an examination 
of the viscera, I would again commend the student 
to the u Manual of American I v and Shells." 



CHAPTER XXL 

Homes of the Mollusks — Gathering Clams — The Typi- 
cal Shell — Description of Parts and Terms — The 
Internal Organs — Food — The Foot and its Uses — 

IvAMELLIBRANCHS — THE WAY To MEASURE A SHELL 

— Anomia — The Oyster — Hinnites — The Pectens — 
Lima. 

IN an early chapter I told of my morning visit 
to Duxbury reef, and of the abundance of shells 
which could be gathered on that stretch of rocks 
when the tide was low. The first species, Crysodo- 
mus dims, we used as an illustration of the great 
class of the Gasteropods, and from that beginning we 
traced the creeping, one-shelled mollusks to their 
various homes — upon the rocks which line the shore, 
on the sea- weeds, in the streams which come down 
from the hills, and the lakes which nestle among the 
mountains, in the thickets, under the tall redwoods, 
and upon the grass of the meadows — breathing the 
salt water of the ocean by means of their gills, 
rising to the surface of the stream or pond for a 
breath of fresh air, or slowly creeping along the grass 
and occasionally opening a simple lung to the blessed 
influences of the atmosphere. 

Ocean, stream, forest, and field each has its proper 
molluscan inhabitants — hard-shelled, thin-shelled or 
no-shelled — predaceous, carnivorous or herbivorous — 
huge, medium-sized or minute — yet all having the 



CLAM GATHERING. 1 57 

same general features of form and structure, and all 
carrying out their part in the great plan of creation. 

When I was returning from the reef, I saw a man 
gathering clams. He had a hoe and a basket, and as 
he walked along the gravelly sands, every now and 
then he would be attracted by a jet of water which 
came shooting up from a little hole in the sand. A 
little digging at such a place would usually bring up 
a small, hard-shelled clam, such as are sold so freely 
in the San Francisco markets. 

Later on in the day I found a good many other 
shells of similar species, and traced several of these 
mollusks to their homes in the different kinds of sand, 
mud, and clay; and when night sent me to the hotel, 
my genial hostess prepared me a most delicious chow- ■ 
der from the largest of all of the various clams. I 
will speak of each of these species in their proper 
order, but to illustrate the subject, we will study a 
fine, large shell which naturally belongs a little 
farther on, among the Carpet shells. 

Fig. 136 represents the inside of one of the shells 
of this mollusk, whose true name is Tapes tenerrima, 
Cpr., Ta'-pes te-ner'-ri-ma. I say one of the shells, 
for all mollusks of this class are protected by two shells, 
a right and left, which are joined together on the 
back by a hinge. Sometimes this hinge consists of 
little more than a straight line where the two valves or 
parts of the shell touch, and are bound together by 
a strong ligament, but usually there are several hinge- 
teeth on each valve, which fit into one another, and 
allow the shells to move in only one direction. 

The teeth, which are grouped near the starting 
point of the shell are called cardinal teeth. You 
will notice three of them in the engraving; forming 



PARTS OF THE SHELL. 



a little triangle; the long, slender one to the left, is 
the lateral tooth, and is marked /. /. The point of 
the shell, which is usually curved inward, is called 
the beak, or umbo (plural umbones), and is marked 
ti, in the cut. The two valves are drawn together 
by two strong adductor muscles which run from one 
to the other, and which are firmly grown to the shells. 
The scars, showing where the muscles have been 




removed, are shown in the cut at a and a\ the former 
being called the anterior and the latter the posterior 
muscle-scar. 

While these muscles can easily hold the two valves 
together very firmly, there must be some provision 
for opening them again. Muscles would not answer, 
for muscles can pull but cannot push; so a strong 
spring is provided to act in opposition to the muscles. 



INTERNAL ORGANS. 1 59 

This spring is called the ligament, and is composed of a 
dark, tough, elastic substance resembling india rubber. 

In this species, the long ligament, /, is external. 
It becomes brittle when it is dried, but when the ani- 
mal is alive it is strong and firm; besides acting as a 
spring to open the valves, it also helps to bind them 
firmly together. 

In the living mollusk the valves are lined with a 
soft skin or mantle, called the pallium. This pallium 
secretes the substance of the shell, building on new 
matter at the edge and thickening its interior. It is 
firmly attached along a curved line which runs from 
one muscle scar to the other. In some species this 
pallial line, marked p. I. , makes a simple curve, but 
in others, as shown in the engraving, it bends back - 
more or less deeply, making a bay or sinus, marked 
p. s.\ which stands for pallial sinus. 

Having thus briefly noticed the parts of the shell, 
let us now examine the structure and habits of its 
occupant. 

Inside the mantle are the principal organs of the 
mollusk, which consist of the gills, liver, digestive 
and circulatory organs. There is no head, and the 
mouth is only a slit surrounded by four triangular 
lips, and opening directly into the gullet, which in 
turn leads directly to the stomach and the intestine. 
The heart is a simple sack-like organ; in the oyster it 
may easily be seen lying in a little opening just below 
the great central muscle. The liver is large, of a 
dark color, and is separated into granules. The gills 
are four in number, two on each side of the body, 
lying just beneath the mantle. They resemble thin, 
delicate ribbons, and are attached by their edges. 
They are crossed bv very many tubes through which 



ACTION OF THE GILLS. 160 

the blood circulates, and in which it is exposed to the 
dissolved oxygen which is contained in the water. 

The gills have another function besides purifying 
the blood; they are the food gatherers. Since the 
animal has no head and no teeth it must depend for 
its food upon the supply which is brought to it by the 
surrounding water. Upon the surface of the gills 
are innumerable cilia, or microscopic hairs. These 
keep up a continual lashing and thus create a cur- 
rent. The fresh water flows into the space within the 
mantle, around the gills, and the old supply is con- 
stantly being driven out. This circulation accom- 
plishes two important results; first, fresh oxygen is 
brought in for the blood, and carbonic acid is 
expelled; and secondly, hundreds of minute organ- 
isms which float in the water are caught upon the 
surfaces of the gills, where they are rolled into a kind 
of mucilaginous thread and passed on into the mouth. 
The food of these mollusks consists, therefore, of 
microscopic animals and vegetables, and is brought to 
them by the united action of all the little whips 
which cover the surface of the gills. 

To give a proper direction to the currents of water, 
different means are employed. In those mollusks 
which live above the surface of the mud, as the oys- 
ter, the mantle lobes are divided, and the water cur- 
rents pass freely through the open edges of the shells. 
But in the clams which burrow in the mud, the case 
is different. In these the mantle lobes are united, 
inclosing the animal in a bag. At the rear end of the 
shell the folds of the mantle are prolonged into a doub- 
le tube, or two single ones, which the animal has 
power to protrude to a considerable length and then 
retract again into the space indicated by the pallial 
sinus. 



HAPPY AS A CLAM. l6l 

Suppose the clam is quietly resting in his burrow, 
a foot below the surface of the mud; resting in peace 
— u as happy as a clam." At length he feels the 
need of communication with the outside world; so, 
up the small hole which reaches to the light he pushes 
his two tubes or siphons, and sets his whip-like 
pumps in action. These cilia are so arranged that 
they lash the water down one pipe, over the surface 
of the gills, and then, when both food and breath 
have been abstracted from it, and it has been loaded 
with any refuse matter that ought to be rejected, it is 
whipped up the other tube and mingles with the 
water above. With such a fine arrangement for liv- 
ing at ease, no wonder the proverb speaks of the 
happy condition of our mollusk ! 

After the tide has turned and the surface of the mud 
is left bare, our molluscan friend stops his pumps and 
reposes for a time. Should any footstep excite his 
fears, he suddenly withdraws his water-pipes, shuts 
the doors of his house with a bang, and out comes a 
jet of water from the hole in the mud, revealing the 
presence of life down in those dark regions. 

If we are inclined to dig, we shall know just where 
to commence operations. But the mollusk can dig 
too, though his motions are usually quite slow. His 
spade is a muscular organ called the foot, which can 
be increased or diminished in size at the will of its 
owner. This foot can be projected through a slit in 
the mantle and extended down into the sand or mud, 
and then by a strong pull the shell is drawn in 
after it. 

It is very interesting to put a clam into a jar of sea- 
water, with sand at the bottom, and see him instinct- 
ively try to bury his shell. Perhaps some of my little 

an 



1 62 LAMEUJBRANCHS. 

friends who live far from the coast may feel dis- 
couraged at this statement, but many of them can try 
the same experiment with a fresh-water mussel, 
which they can get from some pond or stream. In 
bivalve mollusks which live above the mud the foot is 
small or absent. 

All ordinary bivalve mollusks take their name 
from the lamellar or plait-like form of the four gills 
or branchice, hence they are called Lamellibranchs, 
La-mel'-li-branks. The young are hatched from 
minute eggs, and usually spend their earliest days 
within the mantle of the parent. They are free 
swimming little creatures, and when breathed out 
into the surrounding water they sport around for a 
little time, become separated, and then settle down to 
dig a burro w T , or attach themselves to some object 
above the mud. Their shells soon begin to grow, and 
they quickly take up the humdrum life of their 
ancestors. 

The shell which I began to describe has a deep 
pallial sinus, as shown in the engraving, and this fact 
indicates that it lives a good way below the surface of 
the sand or mud, and that it has long siphons. The 
shells are rather flat and thin, and are marked exter- 
nally by many fine lines radiating from the umbo, 
and these are crossed by small concentric ridges, 
which correspond to lines of growth. The cardinal 
hinge-teeth are near the anterior extremity of the 
shell, which is always opposite the pallial sinus; and 
the ligament is long and external. 

The length of a pair of bivalve shells is the dis- 
tance from one end to the other, parallel to the hinge 
line. The height is the distance from the hinge line 
to the opposite edge of the shell; and the breadth is 



DIMENSIONS. 



163 



measured at right angles to both, and is the distance 
from side to side, through the most bulged portion of 
the valves. Thus a round clam has much breadth, 
while a flattened one has but little. The thickness 
of the shell means the thickness of the solid material 
of each valve. 

The length of this species is from three to five 
inches, its height is about three inches, its breadth an 
inch and a half, and the average thickness of the 
shell is one-eighth of an inch. The engraving repre- 
sents the left valve, as you can see from the position 
of the pallial sinus, 

Anomia lampe, Gray, A-no'mi-a lam'-pe, is a south- 
ern species, having a very thin and delicate shell,. 
which is nearly circular in shape. It lies upon its 
side in the water, and the right or lower valve is 
much smaller than the left one, and is perforated, 
runs a strong organ called the 
attaches the mollusk firmly to 
surface of another shell. The 
upper valve is arched, and is marked internally by 

several muscle scars; color 
yellowish, shining; length, 
an inch or more. The Ano- 
mia somewhat resembles a 
small oyster, and in France 
it forms an article of food. 
A more northern species, 
belono-ino- to the same fain- 

o o 

ily, is named Placuanomia 
macroschtsnta^ Desh., Plak- 
u-a-no'-mi-a mak-ro-shiz '- 
ma, and a view of the same 
137. The form of the shell 



Through the hole 
byssal plug, which 
some stone or the 




is 



Fig. 137. 

shown in 



Fig. 



164 THE OYSTER FAMILY. 

varies greatly, though its normal shape is circular. 
The lower valve is smaller than the upper, and as in 
the last species it is pierced for the strong plug which 
attaches the animal to a rock. Through this hole 
you can see the large muscle scar inside the upper 
valve, and can notice its curious, radiated structure. 

The shells are pearly within, and are generally of a 
greenish tinge. The outside is marked by irregular 
radiating ridges. Sometimes this species grows to 
the size of a large oyster, but ordinary specimens are 
about two inches across. When the structure and 
the color of the pearl are once known, even a frag- 
ment of this shell can be readily recognized. This 
species is found along the whole coast, particularly 
at the north. 

Ostrea lurida, Cpr., Os'-tre^a hi/-ri-da. This is 
the common native oyster of this coast, and is well 
known as distinct from the Eastern oyster, Ostrea 
Virginiana, leister, which is brought here from Balti- 
more and other Atlantic ports. The young oysters, 
about an inch long, easily endure the seven or eight 
days of travel across the country, and when planted 
in our bays, they thrive and grow rapidly. In three 
or four years they are ready for the market. Although 
they spawn abundantly, but few of the young survive, 
probably on account of the coldness of the water; 
though occasionally a true, young Eastern oyster may 
be found attached to some old post, showing that at least 
a few of the eggs have developed properly. 

The specimens of our native species, O. htrida, 
are small, with rather dark-colored shells, sometimes 
stained with purple. The greatest dimension of the 
shell is about two inches. The variety expansa, Cpr., 
is nearly circular, and is attached by the whole sur- 



THE ROCK OYSTER. 



165 



face of one valve. The species is found from v San 
Diego to Puget sound. 

We come now to a notable species, Hinnites gigan- 
teus, Gray, Hin'-ni-tes gi-gan'-te-us, Fig. 138. It is 
sometimes called the Rock Oyster, and sometimes 
the Winter Shell. In its early life it has a free, 
symmetrical shell, looking like a Pecten. Its shell 
is then distinguished by its very unequal ears and the 

twelve prominent, serrated 
ribs on its upper valve. It 
soon settles down for life in 
some convenient and shel- 
tered spot, such as the inside 
of an old Haliotis-shell; 
fastens its lower valve to 
this support, and yields 
itself up to circumstances. 
It soon looses its regularity 
of form and becomes oyster- 
shaped, developing some- 
times one valve and some- 
times the other, as oppor- 
tunity offers; twisting itself 
to the right or to the left, 
and becoming so distorted 
that it seems to have wholly forgotten its youthful 
grace. Its outside color varies from yellow to brown, 
while within it is pure white, except a rich ^ purple 
area at the hinge-line. This purple color is very 
permanent, and may be seen even in the fragments of 
shells which are picked up along the beach. The 
ligament is internal, lodged in a deep, narrow pit; 
the muscle-scar is smooth and very large. 




i66 



PECTKN. 



This species sometimes grows to the size of a large 
oyster, but some specimens are only three inches long. 
It is rarely cast up alive by storms, but dead shells 
are not uncommon. It is most abundant in northern 
waters. 

Unlike the last species, the Pectens or Scallops 
remain free during their whole life, though they some- 
times spin a byssus, or cable of threads, and attach 




themselves to pieces of sea-weed. They swim by 
opening and shutting the valves of the shell, and they 
have small eyes along the edge of the mantle. The 
valves are connected, as in quite a group of similar 
species, by a single, large, central muscle, instead of 
by two, as in most of the bivalves. 

The first species, Pecten cuqnisulcatus, Cpr. , Pek'- 
ten e-qui-sul-ka'-tus, is a southern shell, and its beau- 
tiful form and markings are shown in Fig. 139. 



PECTEN. 167 

It is quite robust, and its surface is marked by about 
twenty strong ribs, which are separated by deep and 
equal furrows. Whitish, more or less mottled and 
striped with reddish brown. Large specimens are 
three inches across. 

Pecten latiauritas, Conr., lat-i-au-ri'-tas. The ribs 
of this shell are about twelve in number, plain and 
distinct. The ears, or flattened parts of the shell 
upon each side of the umbo, are broad, suggesting 
its specific name, which means broad-eared. You will 
notice that one of the ears of each Pecten is notched, 
allowing a little space for the finger-like foot to pass 
through without opening the shell. This foot spins a 
byssus of horny threads, and attaches them to some 
support, thus casting anchor when the animal wishes 
to remain fixed. The color of this southern shell is 
white and brown, and it is one inch in diameter. 

Fig. 140 introduces us to another of the Comb- 
shells, Pecten monotimeris, Cour. , mon-o-tim'-e-ris. 
Shell very thin and delicate, ribs 
rounded and rather faint, ears unequal, 
color inclining to yellow or brown, 
but variously mottled with white, like 
the feathers of a speckled hen. Out- 
line nearly circular; usually less than 
Fig. 140. an inch in diameter. 

Pecten hastatus, Sby., has-ta'-tus, Fig. 141. This 
exquisitely beautiful species is essentially a northern, 
deep-water inhabitant, though it is occasionally found 
quite far down the coast. The shell is thin, the ears 
very unequal, and the edges of the principal ribs arc 
cut into many short and slender teeth. The valves 
differ from each other, both in sculpturing and in 
color, the lower one being nearly white, while the 




1 68 THE RED PECTEN. 

upper one is richly banded with concentric rings of 
red and pink. The choice specimen from which this 




Fig. 141. 

drawing was made, kindly sent from Oregon by Mr. 
Dore, is two and a half inches in diameter. Pecten 
hericeus, Gld., is a synonymous name. 

Amiisiicm caurinum, Gld., A-mu'-si-um cau-ri'- 
num, Northwest Weather-vane. 

As the translation of this odd name indicates, this 
very large and broad shell comes from the vicinity of 
Puget Sound. It is a huge, flat Pecten, having 
unequal, circular valves, marked by twenty ribs. 
Edges thin, ears rather small, color white within, 
yellowish brown without. Diameter about six inches. 

§Lima orientalis, Ad. , Iyi'-ma o-ri-en-ta'-lis, 
Fig. 142. Shell white, delicate, oblique, the 
valves gaping on one side. Sculpturing fine 
and straight, like the teeth of a file. It is 
sometimes thrown up by storms, and is found 
Fig. 142. attached to sea-weed. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The Pearl Oyster's Representative: — The Arks — The 
Pea-Pod Shell — Modiola — The Mussels — Capt. Dix- 
on's Account — River Clams — Pisidium — Sph^erium — 
Kelly Shells — Lucina — Lazarina. 

r PHE family of the Aviculidce, Av-i-cu'-li-dse, which 
I in the Gulf of California furnishes the large and 
beautful Pearl oyster, Meleagrina margaritifera^ 
Linn., Mel-e-a-gri'-na mar-gar-i-tif'-e-ra, is poorly 
represented on our coast. In the vicinity of Santa 
Barbara there is a minute, white, oval shell, one- 
eighth of an inch in length, named Bryophila setosa, 
Cpr., Bry-of-i-la se-to'-sa, which belongs to that 
family. 

Among the Arks, which are so numerous and fine 
on the Atlantic coast, we also have but few. 

We name first, Barbatia gradata, Sby^Bar-ba'-shi-a 
gra-da'-ta. Height much greater than its length, 
valves fully arched, somewhat angular, many ribbed. 
Breadth one-fourth of an inch or more, color, light 
brown; found under stones; southern. 

Milneria minima, Dall, Mil-ner'-i-a min'-i-ma, 
resembles the last; but is smaller, curved, and marked 
with fewer ribs. Recurved at the base; often minute. 

Axtnea z//fc/v//^//V?,Brod., Ax-iu'-e-a iu-ter-me'-di-a. 
Shell solid, white, tinged with brown, nearly circu- 
lar. Inner edge finely crenulated. Pallial line 
entire; hinge area crescent-shaped and marked by 



170 THE PEA-POD SHELL. 

many small, transverse hinge-teeth. Length about 
half an inch. 

The family of the mussels, or the Mytilidcz, My- 
til'-i-de, comes next. They have elongated, dark 
colored shells, and most of them spin a byssus of 
strong threads, by which they anchor themselves to a 
place of safety. 

A few of them are borers, as is the case with Adula 
styling Cpr. , Ad'-u-la sty-li'-na. This species has a 
small, peg-shaped shell, looking short and stunted. 
Epidermis brown, shell half an inch to an inch long; 
found in clay rocks. 

Adula falcata, Gld., fal-ka'-ta, Pea-pod-shell, 




Fig. 143. 

Among the difficult things to explain is the fact 
that a mollusk, with a thin and flexible shell, can 
bore a deep hole into hard rock. That this is done, 
however, can be proved by any one who will exam- 
ine the work of this species. The shell is long, nar- 
row, and slightly curved. The inside is white and 
pearly, while the outside is covered with a dark chest- 
nut epidermis, which has numerous transverse wrink- 
les. 

I found the rocks of Duxbury Reef almost alive 
with this and other borers. The deep, narrow holes 
are curved to fit the shell, and the animal also spins 
a byssus, by which it attaches itself to the sides of 
the burrow. The length of the shell is two inches. 



SEPTIFER. 



171 



Lithophagus plumula, Hanley, Lath-of'-a-gus plu'- 
mu-la, has a small, cylindrical shell, rounded in front 
and tapering behind. It is a borer, as its name, the 
Rock-eater, would indicate; and it is Found sometimes 
in rocks, and sometimes in old shells. It has a light 
brown epidermis, and is an inch or two in length. 

Septifer bifurcatus, Rve., Sep'-ti-fer bi-fur-ca'-tus, 
Fig. 144. Its generic name means the Partition- 
bearer, and was given from the fact that 
a little shelly partition is stretched across 
a small part of the interior of each valve, 
near the umbo. The specific name, 
meaning two-forked, applies to the branch- 
ing external ribs with which the surface 
of the valves is covered. The shell is 
Fig. 144. strong, somewhat wedge-shaped, and is 
covered with a dark epidermis. The interior is white, 
pearly, and sometimes beautifully tinted with purple. 
The great Horse-Mussel, Modiola modiolus, Mo-di'- 
o-la mo-di'-o-lus, is most abundant in northern waters. 
Shell somewhat cylindrical, very large and full; 
sometimes four inches in length and two in breadth. 
The epidermis is chestnut brown and is strongly 
bearded. 





Fig. 145. 



Modiola rccla, Conrad, Straight Mussel, is shown in 
Fig. 145. The shell is long and narrow, thin and 



172 



THE MUSSELS. 



delicate. The epidermis near the hinge end is dark 
brown and glossy; in front it is light brown, with 
numerous chaffy hairs; internally the shell is white. 
The length is three or four inches, four times its 
breadth. It is found from Puget Sound to San 
Diego. 

In many places along the coast the mussels are of 
the kind shown in Fig. 146, named Mytilus Calif or- 
nianus, Conr., Cal-i-for-ni-a'-nus, California Mussel. 
The shells of this species are 
found covering the rocks over 
which the breakers dash the 
wildest. Moored by its strong 
cable, it enjoys the rush of air 
and water, and fears no danger. 
This species can easily be dis- 
tinguished from the last one by 
its brown, glossy epidermis and 
its conspicuous ribs. The shell 
is purple, though its thicker por- 
tions are partly white. The 
animal is orange-colored. 

This shell is one of the first 
on our coast that received atten- 
tion in Europe. In 1789, Cap- 
tain George Dixon published an 
account of his voyage round the 
world, and speaks of finding this 
Fi s- 1 4 6 - species on the northwest coast of 

America, in the following words : 

We saw, also, on this coast, a kind of muscle, in color 
and shape much like the common eatable muscle of Europe, 
but differed in being circularly wrinkled, and a great deal 
larger. One valve I saw at Queen Charlotte's islands meas- 
ured above nine inches and a half in length. With pieces of 




THE MUSSELS. 173 

the v se muscles, sharpened to an exquisite edge and point, the 
Indians head their harpoons and other instruments for fish- 
ing. They fasten them on with a kind of resinous substance. 

In large and old specimens the wrinkles are seen 
only near the edge of the valves. 

Modiola fornicata, Cpr. , for-ni-ca'-ta, Arched Mus- 
sel, has a very short and full shell, somewhat wedge- 
shaped, having a breadth more than half of its length. 
The naked shell is white, but it is usually covered 
with a light-brown epidermis, especially near the 
edges. It seldom grows to a length of more than an 
inch. I have found it in Monterey bay, under stones, 
attached by a byssus. 

Mytilus bifurcatus, Conr. , Mit'-i-lus bi-fur-ka'-tus v 
The shell of this species is like that shown in Fig. 
144, but it is without the internal shelf at the point 
of the valve. It is very wide for its length, and is 
somewhat curved. 

Mytilus edulis, Linn., e-du'-lis. This is the pur- 
ple mussel which is so abundant on the shores of the 
Atlantic. The shell is smooth and regular, and is 
covered with a dark, glossy epidermis. Within, it is 
of a rich purple color. It is found abundantly in 
San Francisco bay, as well as elsewhere, clinging in 
large groups to posts and wharves. Its length is 
seldom more than two inches. 

So much for the marine mussels. Now we will 
turn to their relatives which live in fresh-water lakes 
and streams. 

Of these there are but a few species west of the 
Rocky mountains, though to the east of that dividing 
ridge, in the great Mississippi valley, the species are 
numbered by the score and almost by the hundred. 
The great investigator of these mollusks was Isaac 



i74 



RIVER MUSSELS. 



Lea, a Philadelphia Quaker, who died near the close 
of the year 1886, aged ninety-four years. To this 
venerable man the students who live along the inland 
waters of our country will ever owe a debt of grati- 
tude. 

Of our few species, all of which have thin shells 
and slight hinge-teeth, if any, we will first study 
Anodonta Calif orniensis, Lea, An-o-don'-ta Cal-i-for- 
ni-en'-sis, Fig. 147. Shell very thin, of bluish pearl 




Fig. 147. 

within, and covered with a greenish brown epider- 
mis; almost transparent at the umbones. The hinge- 
line is prolonged obliquely upward, forming a nearly 
right triangle above the oval part of the shell. Its 
length is three inches. The specimen for the 
engraving was taken from the San Joaquin river. 



ANODONTA 



T 75 



Anodonta Oregonensis, Lea, Or-e-gon-en'-sis, has 
a shell oval in outline, rather thin, pearl-tinted, and 
covered with a dark or greenish epidermis. The 
oldest parts of the shell, which in this case are at the 
umbones, are often partially dissolved by the acids in 
the river-water, leaving the white shell exposed. 
There are no hinge-teeth. The hinge-line is nearly 
parallel to the base of the shell, quite different from 
the last species. The specimens described were 
gathered in the north, from the Columbia river, near 
The Dalles, and in the south, from the vicinity of 
Los Angeles. 




Fig. 148. 

Anodonta Nttttalliana, Lea, is very similar to Cali- 
forniensis, as is also A. Wahlamatensis^ Lea. I con- 
sider them both as only varieties of that species. 

Anodonta angulata, Lea, an-gu-la'-ta, Fig. 148, 
however, is distinct and has a well-marked form. It 
is much wider at one end than at the other, and is 
marked by a sharp angle running obliquely from the 
umbo to the corner of the shell. Epidermis dark 



176 RIVER PEARL-SHELLS. 

brown; shell pearly within, somewhat flesh-colored. 
The length is three inches, which is twice the height. 

Margaritana margaritifera, Linn., Mar-gar-i-ta'-na 
mar-gar-i-tif-e-ra. This fresh -water mussel is widely 
distributed, being found in the eastern part of the 
United States, and also in Europe. The shape of its 
shell is oblong, somewhat bulged at the umbones. 
Firm and solid; hinge- teeth strong, triangular. Epi- 
dermis dark, internal color somewhat purple, length 
three inches. Found in the Chehalis river of Wash- 
ington, and the Shasta river of Oregon. 

Very much smaller than the fresh-water mussels 
are the following little creatures which live with them 
in the brooks and rivers. The first one is named 
Pisidium compressum, Prime, Pi-sid'-i-um com-pres'- 
sum. The bivalve shells are minute, somewhat tri- 
angular in shape, plump and full, covered with a 
brown epidermis. In form and size they resemble 
radish seeds. The length is one-eighth of an inch. 
Specimens from the Columbia river, near The Dalles. 

Pisidium ultramontanum, Prime, ul-tra-mon-ta 7 - 
num. Still smaller than the last species. Shell 
thin, smooth, light brown. From Utah. 

Pisidium abditum, Hald., ab'-di-tum, Fig. 149. 

Shell oval, thin, marked with minute lines of growth. 

Color light brown, length sometimes nearly 

/^ one-fourth of an inch. This little species 

is quite widely distributed, and its name 

Fig. 149. has numerous synonyms. Its variety occi- 
dental, Newcomb, ok-si-den-ta'-le, is found in a lit- 
tle stream running out of Mountain L,ake, near San 
Francisco. This shell is usually about an eighth of 
an inch long. 




SPH^RIUM. 177 

A plump little river shell of pleasing outline is 
shown in Fig. 150, and is named Sph&rium sulcatum, 
Lam., Sphe'-ri-um sul-ka'-tum. The brown epider- 
mis shows distinct lines of growth, and 
the shell is white internally. Its length is 
half an inch or less. From California, 
Oregon and Utah. These little mollusks 
Flg * I5 °' are very active creatures, climbing about 
on aquatic plants with great ease. 

Sphczrium patellum, Gld. , pa-tel'-lum. Shell very 
thin, resembling the last species but less robust, 
smoother, one-fourth of an inch in length. Speci- 
mens from Sonoma county, California. 

Sphczrium occidentale, Prime. Nearly circular in 
outline, shell quite smooth and firm, robust, same 
size as the last. Specimens from Weber Canon, Utah. 

Sphczrium, dentatum, Hald., den-ta'-tum. Hatchet- 
shaped when viewed from the side, but bulged at the 
umbones and heart-shaped at the ends. Epidermis 
olive-green, glossy. One-fourth of an inch long. 
From the Chehalis river. 

This completes our list of fresh- water bivalves, and 
we go back to the ocean side once more, to search 
among its sands and rocks for the mollusks which 
have thus far escaped our notice. 

We will begin with one which scarcely differs in 
shape from our last picture, Fig. 150. It is called 
the Kelly-shell, Kellict suborbicidaris, Mont., Kel'- 
li-a sub-or-bic-u-la'-ris. The Kellias are little bivalve 
mollusks which live in the ocean, where they hide 
themselves in the sheltered places among the rocks, 
or in other convenient retreats. This species has a 
minute shell, thin and light colored. It is a south- 
erner and hides among kelp roots. 

(12) 



iZ8 



KEIXY-SHEIXS. 



Kellia Laperonsii, Desh., L,ap-er-ou ; -si-i. Shell 
somewhat oblong in shape, thin, nearly smooth; when 
living it is covered with a shining, light brown epi- 
dermis. Ligament small, internal. This little nest- 
ler lives in sheltered places, like holes in the rocks; 
often in the deserted holes of the Piddocks or Rock- 
borers. I once found a whole colony of them, of 
different ages, all living happily together within the 
valves of an old clam shell. Its length is half an 
inch or less. 

Lasea rubra, Mont, Las'-e-a ru'-bra. This little 
mollnsk, which has most of the habits of the last 
species, is covered by two oval valves, one-eighth of 
an inch in length. Reddish brown in color. It is a 
northern shell and is identical with the British species, 
of which we read that u it is viviparous, and lives as 
much out of the sea as in it." 

Tellimya tumida, Cpr. , Tel-lim'-i-a tu'-mi-da. Very 
minute, wedge-shaped, brownish white, northern. 

A pure white shell, regularly marked with fine, 
concentric lines, is shown in Fig. 151. Its name is 
Lucina ■ Californica, Conr., IyU-si'-na C&J-i-for'-ni-ca. 
In shape it is nearly circular, and it varies in size 
from the diameter of a dime to that 
of a half-dollar. The cardinal hinge- 
teeth are small, while the lateral 
ones are strong. The ligament is 
external, and the lunide in this spe- 
cies belongs wholly to the right 
Fig. 151. valve. The lunule is the little heart- 

shaped impression in front of and just under the beaks, 
In most species, when visible at all, it is divided 
equally between the two valves. The forward muscle 
scar is long and narrow, and the pallial line is entire. 




LUCINA. 179 

The pure whiteness, symmetrical form and regular 
markings make this a very pleasing shell. 

Lucina Nuttalli, Conr., Nut-tal'-li. The shell of 
this species is similar in shape to that of the last, but 
is more highly sculptured. The sharp, fine lines of 
growth are crossed by many delicate rays, making 
its surface look like fine basket-work. It is some- 
what flattened and ridged along the hinge-line. 
Color white, length an inch or less; southern. 

Diplodonta orbella, Gld., Di-plo-don'-ta or-bel'-la. 
The shell of this pretty species resembles Lucina 
Californica in size, color and surface, but the valves 
are greatly inflated; so much so that small specimens 
are nearly spherical, and resemble white marbles. It 
has a wide range from north to south. 

Now for a neat little shell, not half an inch long, 
which may often be found in the sand, but live speci- 
mens of which may occasionally be discovered, 
fastened to the rocks in concealed places, A rather 
large picture of it is given in Fig. 152, and its large 
name is Lazaria subquadrata, Cpr., Iya-za'-ri-a sub- 
quad-ra'-ta. > It is strong, full, and marked with 
fifteen rounded ribs, which seem to radiate 
JlB^ from one corner of the nearly rectangular 
shell. Iyunule cordate and conspicuous ; liga- 
Fig- 152. ment external, at the base of a broad depres- 
sion. Cardinal teeth strong, three in number; pallial 
line entire; color brownish white, sometimes deeply 
stained inside with purple; edge slightly crenulated. 

Crassatella marginata, Cpr. ? Cras-sa-tel'-la mar- 
gin-a'-ta. Shells minute, about the size of large pin- 
heads; somewhat triangular; yellowish, marked with 
chevrons of brown. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Cockles — Chama — How To Determine the Spe- 
cies — Some Nestlers — Saxidomus — The Carpet 
Shell — Chione — Amiantis — Pachydesma — The 
Standellas — Semele — The Wedge-Shell — Macoma 

SECTA. 

THE common Heart-shell or Cockle of this coast 
has a pleasant history. It was spoken of by Cap- 
tain Dixon, in 1789, who fonnd it at the month of 
Cook's river, in Alaska, along with mussels and other 
shells. He qnaintly states that " half-a-dozen of 
them wonld have afforded a good supper for one per- 
son." 

Its name is Cardium cordis, Mart. , Car'-di-um cor'- 
bis. A beautiful end view of one of them, fully 
justifying the name "Heart-shell," is given in Fig. 

153. The shells are very 
full and round, the ribs 
about thirty in number, 
slightly scaly. Pallial line 
entire, edge of shells strong- 
ly toothed, color whitish or 
light brown. Portions of 
large, broken shells may 
frequently be picked up 
near the Cliff House in 
San Francisco. The dia- 
meter of ordinary speci- 
mens is two or three inches. 
Fig. 153. Liocardium elatum^Sby., 




CARDIUM. Ibl 

Li-o-car'-di-um e-la'-tum. As the last species was 
essentially a northern mollusk, so this one makes 
its home in the warmer waters of the south. It 
has a fine heart-shaped shell, yellowish white in 
color and covered with a delicate, light brown 
epidermis. It is nearly smooth, but is marked 
by about fifty small ribs, and the same number of 
interlocking teeth on the edge of the valves. Some- 
times it grows to a great size, six inches or more in 
diameter. While one of these cockles would be 
enough for a meal, the shells would answer for bowls 
to contain the chowder. 

Liocardmm sub striatum, Conr. , sub-stri-a'-tum. 
This is a smooth little cockle, and like the last one 
it lives in the south. Its shape is 
shown in Fig. 154, which gives an 
enlarged view, for the shell is not 
much more than half an inch in 
length. Its color is a light drab, 
spotted with yellow. With a glass, 
very fine lines of growth may be 
observed; from this circumstance it 
Flg ' I54 ' takes its name, which may be freely 

translated, fine-lined. In shape and color it greatly 
resembles a sparrow's egg, and contrasts strongly with 
its neighbor, the giant elatum. 

All of the Cardiums are beautiful in outline and 
regular in growth. They are free movers, having a 
strong foot, with which they can dig or jump. 

Quite unlike them in all these respects is the next 
genus, one species of which is illustrated in Fig. 155. 
The outer surface is ^rav or crreenish, sometimes 
dashed with rosy red. It is very rough, being cov- 
ered by many close frills, which are translucent, like 




1 82 



CHAMA. 




chalcedony. The principal hinge-tooth is oblique 
and very strong, and the inside of the shell is lined 
with a white, opaque layer, beautifully crenulated at 
the edge. The general shape of the shell is circular, 
but it varies greatly in form, according to its sur- 
roundings. It is an inch or two in diameter. 

Its name is Chama pellucida, 
Sby., Ka'ma pel-lu'-si-da. It 
is always found firmly 
attached to a rock by its 
lower valve. So strong is 
the adhesion that you must 
break off a piece of the rock 
or you will sacrifice a part of 
your shell. It is very easy 
to overlook them, as they 
appear like ragged knobs on 
the rock, but when once you have collected a good 
specimen you will admire its peculiar beauty. 

The name Chama is very old, having been men- 
tioned by Pliny; the specific name, pellucida, beau- 
tifully refers to the pure and translucent appearance 
of the shell. 

Chama exogyra, Conr., ex-o-gy'-ra. This is a 
southern species, similar in size and shape to the last, 
but having a coarser, more oblique shell. The chief 
difference, however, is seen in the curve of the urn- 
bones. If you stand a specimen of this species on 
its edge, with the beaks uppermost and curving 
towards you, the side which was attached to the rock 
will be towards your left hand. But if you place a 
specimen of pelhicida in the same position, the rocky 
side will be towards your right hand. 



Fig. 155- 



NESTLBRS. 183 

Petricola carditoides, Conr. , Pe-trik'-o-la car-di- 
toi'-des, as its name indicates, is a dweller in the 
rocks. Normally, the shell is oval, with regular 
sculpturing; but it has the habit of boring into a 
soft rock, or getting into a hole that was there before, 
and then growing to fit the premises. From this 
cause it happens that representatives of this species 
vary very much in their general appearance. Some- 
times one is long and narrow, while its neighbor is 
shaped like a fat bean. 

The ligament is external; the hinge-teeth and the 
sculpturing sometimes become nearly obsolete, and 
the shell becomes thick and rough. Its color is a 
dingy white, and it is from an inch to two inches in 
length. It is found in rocky places, all along the 
coast. 

Rupellaria lamellifera, Conr., Ru-pel-la'-ri-a lam- 
el-lif-e-ra, Fig. 156, is a near relative of the last 

^g§ipf|?^ species. It is essentially a nestler 

/MmwM^^^^\ amon §' the rocks, and it may be 

mM H known by the ten or twelve large, 

\^^^^^^^ thin, concentric frills or laminae 

^^^^^^ which mark its periods of growth. 
Fig. 156. The shell i s strong, somewhat angu- 

lar, white, and about an inch in length, though it 
sometimes grows larger. I have occasionally found 
live specimens at Monterey. 

There are three species of Saxidomi which live in 
the sand and gravel along the seacoast, from British 
Columbia to Mexico. They resemble one another in 
form and habits. The beaks are placed far forward, 
and behind them is the large external ligament. 

The first species is named Saxidomus aratus, Old. , 
Sax-i-do'-mus a-ra'-tus. The general shape of the 



184 



SAXIDOMUS. 



shell is oval, and it is quite full and strong. The 
pallial sinus is very deep, and the shell is white, with 
some brown markings around the hinge-area. Radial 
lines are very faint, but lines of growth are fine, 
regular and strong. The hinge-teeth are very dis- 
tinct, indicating a strong, powerful shell. Its length 
is from two to several inches. 




Fig. 157. 

Saxidomus Niittallii, Conr., Nut-tall'-i-i, Fig. 157. 
The shell of this species is strong and heavy, and is 
marked by numerous rough, irregular, concentric 
ridges. The interior of the shell is white, and the 
thickened portion below the huge external ligament 
is translucent like agate. The pallial sinus is very 
deep, and the posterior end of the shell is slightly 
gaping. Color brownish white, length four inches 



THE CARPET SHELL. 



or less. The engraving shows a reduced figure of 
one of these fine shells. 

Saxidomus squalidus, Desh., squal'-i-dus, is con- 
sidered by some as a variety of the last species. It is 
found off the coast of Oregon, and is sold in the mar- 
kets of Portland. It is smaller than Nuttallii, and 
has a smoother shell; in other respects it is very sim- 
ilar. Iyength nearly three inches, height two inches, 
and breadth an inch and a half. 

Tapes staminea, Conr., Ta'-pes sta-min'e-a, Fig. 
158, Carpet Shell. In the markets of San Francisco 
may be found excellent specimens of this species, 
where it is sold as the " Hard-shelled Clam." 
Tomales bay furnishes a good part of the supply, 
though it abounds all along the coast. There are 
numerous varieties, some of which are white, while 
the shells of others are very prettily marked with 
reddish brown chevrons. 

The valves of the shell are rounded, full, strong, 
and marked by numerous narrow, radiating ribs, 



which are crossed and 




big. 158. 

frisky mollusk is shutting 
inof for the returning tide. 



cut by successive lines of 
growth. Hinge-teeth 
strong, ligament external, 
pallial sinus reaching to 
the middle of the shell. 
These mollusks burrow 
in stony places, and as 
you go along the beach 
at low tide, there comes 
up a jet of water here and 
there, showing that the 
up his door, and is wait- 
The length of these shells 



varies from an inch to nearly three inches. 



1 86 CHIOXE. 

The variety mderata, Desh., ru-de-ra'-ta, is marked 
by occasional concentric frills, somewhat like a Rupel- 
laria; but it may be distinguished from that shell by 
the presence of radiating ribs, which its neighbor 
never possesses. 

Tapes' lacineata, Cpr. , la-sin-e-a'-ta, resembles sta- 
minea, and perhaps is only a southern variety of that 
species ; but its surface is covered with beautiful net- 
like sculpturing, quite different from the ordinary 
form. 

The next shell on our list is Tapes tenerrima, Cpr. , 
but that species has already been described in the 
opening chapter on the Lamellibranchs, so I will 
simply refer you to Fig. 136, and the accompanying 
description. 

Psephis tantilla, Gould, Se'-fis tan-til'-la. The 
length of this little shell is only about one-eight of 
an inch, but it has some quite distinctive marks by 
which it may be identified. Its shape is somewhat 
triangular, its surface very smooth and bright, its 
color white or brownish, with an internal purple 
spot near one end. It reaches Puget sound on the 
north, and is probably found along the whole western 
coast of the United States. 

Chione simillima, Sby., Ki-o'-ne si-mil'-li-ma, is a 
species found on the southern coast. The valves of 
the shell are very thick and strong, and are finely 
sculptured in both directions. The radial lines are 
rounded, while the concentric ones are sharp and 
thin. At the end of the shell is a conspicuous cor- 
date lunule; on the top is a broad depression, and at 
the base of this is the external ligament. The car- 
dinal hinge-teeth are three in number, the pallial line 
almost entire, showing that it is not a deep burro wer. 




CHIONE. 187 

The color is brownish white, deeply stained inside 
with purple; length two inches or less. 

Chione succtncta, Val., suk-sink'-ta, is a similar 
species. In Fig. 159 we have a 
view of the distinct, cordate lunule 
which is so conspicuous a mark of 
this shell. 

In general form and size it res- 
embles the last species, but is 
marked by less frequent concentric 
ridges. The shell is white, strong, 
and heavy. 

Chione jliictifraga, Sby., fluc- 

tif-ra-ga. Shell very strong and 

Fig. 159. heavy, valves nearly circular when 

young, and sculptured into a network. When older, 

the shell becomes somewhat triangular and the latter 

part is prolonged. 

There is no distinct lunule as in the other species; 
the ribs and lines are rounded, and the edges are 
marked with fine crenulations. Externally the shell 
is dingy, but it is pure white within, with purple 
spots at or near the muscle scars. The shell is an 
inch or two in length; southern. 

Fig. 160 represents one of the most graceful of our 
bivalve shells. Its name is Amiantis callosa, Conr., 
Am-i-an'-tis cal-lo'-sa. It is a pure white shell, full 
in the center and quite thin at the edges. Its sculp- 
turing consists of many rounded, concentric lines, 
equal in size to the intervening grooves. There are 
no radial markings whatever. The lunule is small, 
set beneath the prominent umbones. 

The ligament is external, the pallial sinus moder- 
ate, while the hinge has complicated cardinal teeth 



AMIANTIS. 



and strong lateral ones. The common length of the 
shell is two or three inches, but sometimes it is much 
more. It is found on the southern coast. 




Fig. 160. 

Standella nasuta, Conr., na-su'-ta. Very similar 
to the next species, of which it is perhaps only a vari- 
ety; shell somewhat depressed behind the beaks. 
An inch or more in length. 

Standella planulata, Conr., plan-u-la'-ta, is shown 
in Fig. 161. 

Its shape is much like 
that of the last, but it is 
only half as long. The 
^ beaks are nearly equidis- 
tant from the ends of the 
shell, and the triangular 
hinge-tooth is in front of 
the ligament. Its color is white; found in southern 
waters. 

Standella falcata, Gld., fal-ka'-ta. Shaped like 
Fig. 161, but smaller and flatter. Glossy; less than 
an inch long; northern. 




A HEAVY SHELL. 1 89 

Pachydesma crassatelloides, Conr. , Pak-i-dez'-ma 
cras-sa-tel-loi'-des, is the big, hard name which applies 
to the big, hard shell, a small picture of which is 
shown in Fig. 162. The pair of valves from which 
the figure was drawn are five and a half inches in 
length and weigh over a pound. They are very thick 
and solid, even to their edges, which are smooth and 
finely rounded. 




The 



hinge-teeth 



the heavv and 



are very strong, 
bulged ligament is external, and the pallial sinus is 
small. Externally the shell is smooth, yellowish- 
white in color, sometimes marked with purple rays, 
and it is partly covered with a glossy epidermis. The 
inside is pure white, with purple muscle sairs. 



190 SEMELE. 

Standella Californica, Conr., Stan-del'-la Cal-i- 
for'-ni-ca. Shell somewhat oval, hollowed in front of 
the beaks; edges thin, surface smooth, white, covered 
with a thin epidermis somewhat roughened at the 
posterior end. Ligament internal, lodged in a small 
triangular pit; pallial sinus small, U-shaped; beaks 
narrow and distinct, length about three inches. 

Semele decisa, Conr., Sem'-e-le de-ci'-sa, has a 
shell nearly circular in outline, with a short straight 
portion at one end. The shell is somewhat flattened, 
the lines of growth are distinct and somewhat rough, 
and the ligament is internal, with small hinge-teeth 
on either side. Pallial sinus large and oval, beaks 
turned forward, posterior end of the shell truncated 
and somewhat wrinkled. The epidermis is brownish, 
when present, and beneath it is the white shell. 
Internally the shell is beautifully polished, looking 
like fine white porcelain, tinged with rose or violet 

The rich tinting is particularly seen in large shells, 
especially around the edges and the hinge. The 
length of the shell is three inches or less. It is to be 
found along the southern coast, and like all of the 
following dozen species it lives buried in the sand or 
mud, and sends up two tubes to the water for pur- 
poses of respiration. It is one of our most beautiful 
shells. 

Semele rupiiim, Sby. , ni/-pi-um. Smaller, less 
wrinkled; white, with a pink hinge area. Its length 
is an inch or more. From Santa Catalina Island. 

Semele pulchra, Sby., pul'-kra. About half an 
inch in length, flat, oval; marked with closely 
crowded concentric ridges, with radiating lines at one 
end. Yellowish white; southern. 



MACOMA. 



191 



Heterodonax bimaculatus, D'Orb., Het-e-ro-do'-nax 
bi-mak-u-la'-tus. Shell oval, rather flat, marked 
with fine concentric lines. Ligament external, hinge- 
teeth small and central, pallial sinns half the length 
of the shell. Color white or purple, length less than 
an inch, southern. 

The rather large, thin, glossy shell shown in Fig. 
163 bears the name Macoma secta, Conr., Ma-ko'-ma 




Fig. 163 



sek'-ta. The general form of the shell is oval, but 
the posterior end is suddenly contracted. The pallial 
sinus, as in all of the group, is large, indicating that 
the animal is a good digger, and the ligament is 
strong, broad and external. A thin epidermis is fre- 
quently found round the edges. The length of this 
shell is two or three inches, and it is found from 
Monterey southward. 




192 THE WEDGE-SHEIX. 

The little southern Wedge-shell is shown in Pig. 
164. Its name is Donax Calif or nicits, Conr., Do'-nax 
Cal-i-for'-ni-cus. It is short and stumpy, 
cut nearly square off at one end and 
tapering to a rounded edge at the other. 
Fig. 164. It varies much in color, sometimes being 
nearly white, while other specimens are striped with 
bright tints. Its surface is smooth, though marked 
with narrow radiations. The edge is finely crenula- 
ted. Its length is an inch or less. 

Donax flexiwsiis, Gld., flex-u-o'-sus, likewise a 
southern species, resembles the foregoing, but the 
rear part of the shell is not cut off so obtusely. Shell 
white, usually covered with a light brown epidermis. 
There are dark colored spots on the interior. 

Cardium quadriginariinn, Conr., is a rare southern 
species, resembling Fig. 153, but having about forty 
delicate ribs. It sometimes grows to a great size. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Indian Shell-Mounds — Macoma — Angulus — The Tel- 
lens — Sanguinolaria — My Adventure with the 
Sand-Clam — Habits and Beauty of the Mollusk — 
The Flat Razor — Other Solens — Entodesma — Per- 
iploma. 

AT various points around San Francisco bay are 
great heaps of rubbish which mark the site of 
old Indian camping-grounds. They are always situ- 
ated close to some spring, or are near some stream of 
water, the presence of which is now generally indi- 
cated by a growth of willows. They are of various 
shapes and sizes, and often cover as much ground as 
would suffice for a large garden. 

A big conical one, situated in the western part of 
Oakland, is well known to picnickers, as it forms a 
part of u Shell Mound Park." There is a large and 
gently sloping mound near High street, in the City of 
Alameda. In this one I have dug for relics, without 
remarkable success, though odd stone implements 
have occasionally been found there. 

These mounds are largely made up of old shells, 
ashes and charcoal dust. This shows that the Indi- 
ans had their fires there, and that they threw away 
the rubbish which was left from their meals, and 
then returned to repeat the operation on the slowly 
rising pile. In my digging I came upon lumps of 
half-burned clay, which had probablv served as a 

[13J 



i 9 4 



THE INDIANS' CLAM. 



hearth; under these would be a layer of shells, ashes 
and bones, and then another hard beaten hearth. 
The great extent and depth of these mounds indicate 
either that there was a great rush of visitors to these 
primitive watering-places, or else that they were used 
as camping-grounds for many centuries. Perhaps 
both suppositions are correct. 

It is interesting to examine the shells of these old 
heaps, and thus see what species formerly abounded 
on the adjacent mud-flats. I have found various 
kinds of shells, but by far the most abundant ones 
are those of the species named Macoma nasuta, Conr., 
Ma-co'-ma na-su'-ta, shown in Fig. 165. Although 
so abundant then, this species seems now to be dying 
out, and its place is being rapidly occupied by the 




introduced Rhode Island clam, of which I will pres- 
ently speak, but not a specimen of that shell is found 
in the mounds. 

Macoma nasnta is a common species on the coast, 
extending from Kamtchatka to Mexico. It inhabits 
muddy flats, burying quite deeply, and reaching the 
water by two small, red siphons. The shell is 
smooth, flat and thin; rounded in front, but narrowed 




MACOMA. 195 

and bent to one side behind. The hinge-teeth are 
small, the ligament external, and in one valve the 
pallial sinus reaches to the forward muscle scar. Its 
color is white, and its common length is two inches. 
Macoma inquindta, Cpr., in-qui-na'-ta, a northern 
species, resembles a small specimen of the last. In 
this, however, the pallial sinus does not touch the 
forward muscle scar in either valve. Shell white, an 
inch and a half in length. 

Macoma inconspiaia, Brod. and Sby., in-con-spik'- 
n-a, Fig. 166. This little mollusk has a thin, flat, 
pink or white shell, about half an inch 
in length. It is found from Monterey 
to Puget sound. Dead specimens are 
frequently washed up near the Cliff 
Fig. 166. House, in San Francisco. 
Macoma indentata, Cpr., in-den-ta'-ta, resembles a 
small specimen of M. secta, but the lowest edge of 
the shell, near the rear end, is indented and beaked. 
Thin, white, glossy, southern. 

We now have a group of little shells to examine, 
which belong to the same great family as many of 
those we have been studying, namely the TeUinidcr, 
or Tellens. The first one is shown in Fig. 167, and 
its name is Angulus modestus, Cpr., mo-des'-tus; and 
in fact it is a modest little thing, with a 
shell thin, white and glossy, and marked 
with fine concentric lines. The liga- 
ment is external, the pallial sinus very 
Fig. 167. deep, and there is an internal ridge near 
the forward muscle scar. It is a northern shell, about 
three-fourths of an inch long. 

Angulus obtusus, Cpr., ob-tu'-sus, resembles the last 
species, but has more obtuse beaks. By this is meant 




196 SMALL BIVALVES. 

that the ligament continues in a nearly straight line 
with the upper edge of the shell, while in modesties, 
as shown in Fig. 167, it slants sharply downward. 
The shell is white, about an inch in length. 

Angulus Gouldii, Hanley, Gould'-i-i, is small, oval, 
inflated, a little angled at the beaks and slightly bent 
at the posterior end. About half an inch long; 
southern. 

Angulus variegatus, Cpr., va-ri-e-ga-tus. Similar 
in shape to Fig. 167, but smaller. Pink and white, 
glossy, flat and narrow, hardly half an inch long. 

CEdalia sub-diaphana, Cpr., Tvda'-li-a sub-di-af- 
a-na. This species has a thin, white, glistening shell, 
which appears quite swolen. The hinge-teeth are 
central, and the short ligament is situated almost 
between the prominent beaks. Length half an inch; 
southern. 

Fig. 168 gives us a good idea of the shape of our 

next shell, Cumingia Califomica, Conr., Cum-in'-gi-a 

^0=%^ Cal-i-for'-ni-ca. It is somewhat 

^^^^^^fc|. triangular in outline, with the 

J^^^^^^^mtk fr° n t end rounded, and the rear 

i^^^^^^^^^m en d narrower and slightly twisted. 

^^^^^^^^^Mof The lines of growth are very dis- 

"^^^^^gaS^ tinct, forming concentric ridges. 
Fig. 16S. The shape of the shell varies con- 

siderably in different specimens. Pallial sinus large, 
color white, length about an inch. It is occasionally 
found in Monterey bay, but is more common to the 
southward. 

A very pretty little shell sometimes found at Mon- 
terey and sometimes far to the north, is named Moera 
salmonea, Cpr., Me'-ra sal-mo'-ne-a. It is nearly 
rectangular in outline, the beaks being near one cor- 



TELLEN. 197 

tier, and the external ligament at one end. The sur- 
face is very smooth and glossy, but showing distinct 
lines of growth. It is nearly white on the outside, 
but within it is beautifully salmon-tinted. Its length 
is half an inch or less. 

Lutricola alta, Conr., IvU-trik'-o-la al'-ta. Shell 
round oval, wrinkled at one end, marked with fine 
and distinct lines of growth. Hinge-teeth central, 
ligament external, depressed, behind the umbones. 
Pallial sinus large, color white, but yellowish inside 
between the muscle scars. Southern; length two 
inches. 

The Bodega Tellen, Tellina Bodegensis, Hinds, 
Tel-li'-na Bo-de-gen'-sis, shown in Fig. 169, has a 
very pretty shell, smooth, thick and heavy, and about 
two inches in length. The surface is polished, of a 




Fig. 169. 

creamy-white color, and is marked with fine concen- 
tric lines. The posterior end of the shell is narrow 
and somewhat bent to one side. The ligament is 
external, the hinge teeth very small, and the pallial 
sinus very long and narrow. Old specimens show a 
marked tendency to thicken the shell from the inside. 
It is found at points along the whole coast, but 
chiefly to the northward. 



190 THE RED-LINED CLAM. 

Sangiiinolaria Nuttalli, Conr. , San-guin-o-la'-ri-a 
Nut-tall'-i. Shell thin, oval, flat on the right side, 
but bulged on the left. Ligament large and external, 
hinge-teeth small, sinus very large and acute. The 
color of this beautiful shell is white and lilac, some- 
what rayed, but the coloring is partly concealed by a 
brown epidermis. It is a southern shell, two inches 
or more in length. 

While returning one morning from a ramble over 
the rocks which had been left bare by the fall of the 




Fig 170. 

tide, I was much surprised to see what seemed to be 
two white worms moving about in a little hollow 
between two mossy rocks, which was filled with sand 
and water. They were round and long, and about 
the size of a lead pencil. As soon as I disturbed 
them a little, they quickly disappeared beneath the 
surface of the wet sand. Suspecting what these 
singular creatures might belong to, I at once began 
to dig, and soon came upon a fine sand-clam, with a 
shell like that shown in Fig. 170. I was exceed- 
ingly glad to make the acquaintance of a real, live 



HOW HE BEHAVED. 199 

Psammobia rabro-radiata, Nutt., for so I had learned 
to call him. I think his long name should be pro- 
nounced Sam-mo'-bi-a ru-bro-ra-di'-a-ta, and it means 
that he lives in the sand and has red rays on his 
shell. 

Well, when I came to him down in his bed of 
sand, the two white tubes had vanished, and there 
was nothing visible except an oval shell, the valves 
of which were some three inches long. They showed 
distinct lines of growth, and were covered round the 
edges with a thin, brown epidermis. The color of 
the shell was white, with rays of red shooting down 
from the umbo, looking when I turned the shell 
over like the red rays of the setting sun. Besides a 
huge external ligament, there was nothing else to 
observe in my friend's outward appearance. 

But I wanted to see more of him, so I took a large 
jar, filled it half full of beach sand, added as much 
sea-water as it would hold, and plunged my prize 
into the same. He rested quietly for a few minutes, 
and then began to open his shell and cautiously put 
out his two siphons. Soon afterward, from between 
the edges of his shells came his big, white, spade- 
shaped foot. He drove it down into the sand, curved 
it a little to one side, gave a vigorous pull, and, lo ! 
his shell followed, though just why I could not clearly 
understand. Though the jar was large, he reached 
the bottom before his shell was wholly covered with 
sand, and had to content himself with a half-above- 
ground tenement. 

Next morning his siphons were stretched out some 
six inches in length, and explained the appearance 
which led to his capture. I never thought before 
that there was any particular beauty to the siphons of 



200 A BEAUTIFUL SHELL. 

a clam, but for this red-lined one my opinions quickly 
changed. 

Imagine two tubes made of the finest pink and 
white silk, stretched over delicate hoops arranged at 
regular intervals; then think of them as endowed 
with life and waving with a graceful motion through 
the water, and you will have a faint idea of their 
exquisite texture and elegant appearance. 

I kept my mollusk as long as possible in the jar of 
water, and then, not bearing to part with him, I 
quickly deprived him of life and took his shell home 
to my cabinet. It now lies open before me. Within 
it is of the purest white, resembling delicate porce- 
lain. The pallial sinus is large, the hinge-teeth 
small, and behind them is a thickened portion of 
shell about half an inch long, which terminates quite 
abruptly, exposing part of the ligament 

According to Doctor Carpenter this species has been 
collected both in Puget sound and at San Diego. It 
completes our list of the Tellinidce, which began 
with Semele decisa, and it is a worthy ending for our 
representatives of this beautiful order of the Piaited- 
gilled mollusks. 

Once more I will quote from Captain Geo. Dixon's 
u Voyage Round the World," published in London, 
in 1789: 

At the mouth of Cook's River, Lat. 59 6i', are marry spe- 
cies of shell-fish, most of them, I presume, nondescript. 
* ' * * For a repast our men preferred a large species of the 
Solen genus, which the}' got in quantity, and were easily dis- 
covered by their spouting up the water as the men walked over 
the sands where they inhabited. As I suppose it to be a new 
kind, I have given a figure of it in the annexed plate. 'Tis a 
thin, brittle shell, smooth within and without; one valve is 
furnished with two front and two lateral teeth; the other has 



DIXON'S RAZOR-SHELL. 



20I 



one front and one side-tooth, which slips in between the others 
in the opposite valve. From the teeth in each valve proceeds 
a strong rib, which extends to above half way across the shell, 
and gradually looses itself toward the edge, which is smooth 
and sharp. The color of the outside is white, circularly, but 
faintly, zoned with, violet, and is covered with a smooth, 
yellowish-brown epidermis, which appears darkest where the 
zones are; the inside is white, slighly zoned, and tinted with 
violet and pink. The animal, as in all species of this genus, 
protrudes beyond the ends of the shell very much, and is 
exceeding good food. 

The foregoing is declared by Doctor Carpenter to 
be u probably the first description on record of mol- 
lusks from the Pacific shores of N. America, by the 
original collector." 

I will not add to it except to say that the specfes. 
is now known as Machcera patula, Dixon, Ma-ke'-ra 
pat/-u-la, Flat Razor-shell. A picture of a small 




Fig. 171. 



Sometimes it grows 



specimen is given in Fig. 171. 

nearly six inches in length. It is more common to 
the north, but it is also found on the coast of south- 
ern California. 

Somewhat similar to this is the Short Razor-shell, 
Solecurtus Califonuauus, Conr. , So-le-eur'-tus Cal-i- 
for-ni-a'-nus, shown in Fig. 172. The epidermis of 



202 



SOLEN. 



this shell is not so glossy as that of the last, and the 
hinge is more nearly in the middle of the shell. The 




Fig. 172. 



wild ducks love to find a colony of these edible mol- 
lusks, and have been known to lead the shell-gatherer 
to the right spot to look for them. Length two or 
three inches; southern. 

Solen rosaceus, Cpr., So'-len ro-sa'-se-us, Rosy 
Razor-shell. The shell of this species resembles a 
small flattened tube. Ligament external, near the 
anterior end of the shell. Straight, rosy white, with 
glossy, brown epidermis. Length two inches; height 
less than half an inch; southern. 

Solen sicarius, Gld., si-ca'-ri-us, Fig. 173, Short, 
slightly curved, truncated in front, as if chopped 
square off. White, with glossy, brown epidermis. 




Fig- 173. 



Length two inches; height more than half an inch; 
northern. The hinge and ligament are very near 
one end of this shell. 



Lyonsia Californica, Conr., Ly-on'-si-a, Fig. 174, 
has a delicate little shell, which is occasionally found 



ENTODESMA. 



203 




on the shores of the San Francisco bay, and which 

lives along the whole line of 
coast. In shape it is oblong, 
bulged at one end; while at 
the other it is narrow, thin 
Fi s- J 7o. and crooked. The outer 

coat shows many concentric striae, but this is easily 
rubbed off, revealing the inner layer of the shell, 
which is nacreous or pearly. Its length is an inch or 
an inch and a half. 

Our next species is named Entodesma saxicola, 
Baird, En-to-dez'-ma sax-ik'-o-la. It is a singular 
mollusk, living in holes of various shapes and taking 
whatever form is most convenient. Its shell is oblong,' 
bulged at the hinge end, gaping beneath, and pro- 
longed at the rear end into a somewhat irregular and 
elastic tube composed chiefly of epidermis. The whole 
shell is thin and is covered with a yellow epidermis; 
internally a little ossicle or plate covers the hinge. 

The variety cylindrica has a thicker shell, is very 
rough, and is somewhat wedge-shaped. Length about 
an inch; northern. 

Entodesma inflata, Conr., in-fla-'-ta, resembles the 
last, but is smaller, thinner, and more irregular, and 
is composed largely of epidermis. Narrow in front, 
wider and thinner behind; southern. 

My tilim evict Nuttalli, Conr., Myt-il-i-me'-ri-a Nut- 
tall'-i, is a singular mollusk which may sometimes be 
found imbedded in a soft substance, probably a kind 
of sponge. The shell is very thin, white, covered 
with a brown epidermis. There is an ossicle under 
the hinge. In shape it resembles an inflated bladder, 
with the spiral umbones at one end. Its height is 
about one inch. 



204 THE SILVER SHELL. 

Thracia curta, Conr., Thra'-shi-a cur'-ta. In form 
and markings its shell resembles Fig. 151, but it is 
somewhat oblong and wrinkled at the rear end of the 
valves. Ligament external, hinge-teeth small, pallial 
sinus shallow, length from an inch to two inches. 

Periploma argentaria, Conr., Per-i-plo'-ma ar-gen- 
ta'-ria, Fig. 175. This is a pretty species, easily rec- 
ognized by its peculiar 
spoon-like hinge-teeth. Ob- 
long, beaks near the posterior 
end, pallial sinus small, right 
valve bulged, left one flat- 
tened. White, smooth, with 
Fi s- ws- fine lines of growth, silvery 

within. Length an inch or two; southern. 

Corbula luieola, Cpr. , Cor'-bu-la lu-te'-o-la. Shell 
shaped somewhat like a small Donax, yellowish, 
marked with lines of growth. Ligament internal, in 
a small pit; pallial sinus small. Valves rather thick, 
incurved at the edges, angled at one corner. The 
length of this southern species is only three-eighths 
of an inch. 




CHAPTER XXV. 

The Washington Clam — The Introduction of the Mya 
— Platyodon — The Great Northerner — The Pid- 
docks- zlrph^ea- parapholas — the teredo — brach- 
iopods — llngula — cephalopods — octopus — the 
Squids. 

THE great Washington clam is a huge, burrowing 
mollusk, living sometimes fully two feet below 
the surface of the mud. For such a situation it is 
provided with an enormous siphonal tube, through 
which it holds communication with the upper w r orld. 
Living so deep in the mud, they are rather hard to 
capture, but when they have been traced and spaded 
out a very few of them are sufficient to make an ample 
and excellent chowder. 

The shell of this Schizothczrits Nuttalli, Conr., Shi- 
zo-the'-rus Nut-tall'-i, for that is its name, is oblong, 
bulged, rather thin, and it gapes widely at the end 
where the siphons pass. The hinge-teeth are small, 
and the large internal ligament is lodged in a trian- 
gular pit. As you might suppose, the pallial sinus is 
very broad and deep to make room for the huge 
siphons. The white shell is sometimes covered with 
a thin epidermis. This great mollusk delights in 
muddy bays, where its shell sometimes grows to a 
length of ten inches. It is found along our whole 
western coast, from the Sound to Mexico. 

Cryptomya Californica, Conr., Cryp-to'-mi-a. Shell 
elliptical, slightly gaping, nearly smooth, sometimes 



2o6 



MYA. 



marked with faint lines. The sinus is small, and the 
right valve is provided with a large spoon-shaped 
hinge-tooth, on which is the ligament. Shell rather 
thin, white, with ashy epidermis. Length one inch 
or more. 

Mya arenaria, Linn., My-a' ar-e-na'-ri-a. Fig. 176 
represents the inside of the left valve of this well 
known and higly valued mollusk. The shell is 
oblong-ovate, thin and brittle, gaping at the ends, 
whitish, and covered near the edges with a gray epi- 
dermis. The left valve has a large spoon-shaped 
hinge-tooth, supporting the ligament and fitting into 
an appropriate flattened space on the right valve. The 
pallial sinus as shown in the cut is deep, for this 
mollusk is an active burrower, and the muscle scars 
are unequal. The common length of the shell is two 
or three inches. 




Though very common on the Atlantic coast, this 
clam was unknown in San Francisco bay before the 
year 1874. In November of that year a few speci- 
mens were discovered near Oakland and were named 
My a Hemphilli, Newc, on the supposition that it was 
a new species. In a little time, however, its true 



A NEW COMER. 207 

nature was known, and it multiplied so exceedingly 
that soon specimens could be gathered by the hun- 
dred. Next to the Oyster, it is by far the most 
important food mollusk sold in the markets of San 
Francisco. 

Its sudden appearance in these waters was doubtless 
due to the introduction of a few specimens in con- 
nection with the barrels of young oysters which were 
imported soon after the completion of the Pacific 
railroad. These young oysters were planted in the 
bay; they grew finely, but propagated feebly. The 
clams, on the other hand, though coming here by 
accident, found the situation quite to their liking, 
and the mud flats for miles around soon became 
thickly inhabited by their rapidly maturing descend- 
ants. 




Fig. 177. 

Although not quite so good for food as the more 
aristocratic oyster, the Mya furnishes the basis of a 
delicious chowder which can be afforded by all. 
Already this Rhode Island clam is crowding out the 
Macoma of the Indians, even as the eastern whites 
have already built their cities on the red man's hunt- 
ing grounds. Even among mollusks — 

" Westward the star of the empire takes its way. "* 



208 



SAXICAVA. 



Platyodon cancellatus, Conr., Pla-ty'-o-don can-sel- 
la'-tus, Fig. 177. Closely resembling the last is the 
species named above. The genus takes its name 
from its broad hinge-tooth, which is not equal, how- 
ever, to that of the Mya. The valves are thicker 
than those of that species, greatly bulged, and gap- 
ing posteriorly. Concentric markings are very plain, 
but radial lines are faint. Color white; length two 
or three inches. I found them abundant on the 
shore of Bolinas bay; they are found also to the 
southward. 




Fig. 178. 

The shell of the little Saxicava artica, Linn., Sax- 
i-ca'-va arc'-ti-ca, is small, thin, wrinkled and irreg- 
ular. The beaks are near the front of the shell, 
which is abruptly terminated. Ligament small, 



GLYCIMERIS. 209 

external, behind the beaks. Color ashy white; length 
from one-fourth to one-half an inch. Found on the 
roots of kelp, and in similar situations. 

Glycimeris generosa, Gld., Gly-sim'-e-ris gen-e- 
ro'-sa, Fig. 178. This huge mollusk, which is found 
chiefly in northern waters, sometimes grows to a lar- 
ger size than any other bivalve mollusk on our coast. 
The specimen from which this figure was drawn is 
over six inches in length, while others are said to be 
much larger. The valves are oblong and nearly rect- 
angular,- quite flat, and marked with distinct concen- 
tric ridges. They gape widely where the siphons 
enter. Ligament external, hinge-tooth on the left 
valve shaped like a sharp horn, muscle scars very 
distinct, pallial sinus not very deep. Shells thick 
and strong; dull white without, pearly and shining 
within. 

The last family of the Iyamellibranchs is that of 
the Boring-shells, of which there are two divisions. 
The first of these includes the Pholadidce or Piddocks, 
which bore into rock, shell, or clay; the second 
division, which consists of the Teredos, Tercdidcv, 
work chiefly in wood. 

Of the former division the first species to mention 
is named Netastomella Darwinii, Sby., Xe-tas-to- 
mel'-la Dar-win'-i-i. This little borer is found in 
rocks. The front of the shell is open and circular; 
the latter part is prolonged into a narrow, flattened 
tube, shaped like a duck's bill. The shell is marked 
with striae, and is divided into two parts by a sudden 
constriction. Color whitish; length about half an 
inch. 

Pholas Pacifica, Stearns, Fo'-las Pa-,cif '-i-ca. Shell 
thin and delicate, long and cylindrical; marked with 



2IO 



THE PIDDOCKS. 



wavy, concentric ridges and faint radiating lines. 
The sculpturing is not sharply divided into two 
sections as it is in the next species. Within each 
valve, beneath the hinge, is a slender, curved pro- 
jection, very narrow and delicate. On the outside, 
just above the ligament, is a long, protecting plate, 
with straight sides. This auxiliary valve, as it is 
called, is curved in front and straight behind. The 
shells of this species measure two and a half inches 
in length, are widely gaping at the ends, and are of a 
white color. This mollusk inhabits muddy flats 
near the shores of San Francisco bay. 

Fig. 179 gives us a good idea of the shell of the 
Rough Piddock, Zirphcea crispata, Linn., Zir-fe'-a 
cris-pa'-ta. This fine borer is able to force a tunnel 




Fig. 179. 

into the hardest blue clay by means of the sharp, 
rasp-like teeth, which are ranged in rows on the for- 
ward part of the shell. Within each valve is a deli- 
cate, spoon-shaped tooth or process, which joins the 
shell just beneath the umbo. There is no accessory 
plate over the hinge-area, but it is protected by a 
membrane, and in front of the umbones the valves 
are reflexed. 

The shell is thin, white and very hard. The 
length is from two to four inches. This species is 



THE PIDDOCKS. 



211 



widely distributed, being found also on both sides of 
the Atlantic. I have dug fine specimens from hard 
blue clay near Bolinas. The internal organs of the 
animal as well as its shell are very curious and inter- 
esting. Among them is the hyaline stylet, a slender, 
transparent cylinder, looking like a piece of glass 
rod. Its use is not certainly known. Nearly all of 
the Piddocks are phosphorescent in the dark. 

The great California Piddock, Parapholas Califor- 
nica, Conr., Par-a-fo'-las Cal-i-for'-ni-ca, is represented 
in Fig. .180. The shell of this fine species is rounded 
in front, where it is marked with fine and delicate 
sculpturing. The rear end of the 
shell is tapering, and is mainly 
composed of large scales of epi- 
dermis. Near the line of union of 
the two valves, both above and 
below, there are accessory plates, 
long, straight and smooth. Curi- 
ous spoons of white shell are seen 
within the valves, beneath the 
umbones. The shells are white, 
rather delicate, and are three or 
more inches in length. The rocky 
dust which the animal obtains in 
the process of excavation he uses in 
building up a strong, conical chim- 
ney, which protects the siphons. 
Martcsia intercalata, Cpr., Mar-te'-si-a in-terea- 
la'-ta. This is a very small borer from the southern 
fauna, which is sometimes found in large shells like 
that of the Haliotis. Its presence sometimes disturbs 
the occupant of the shell, especially if its burrow 
has been carried nearly through the pearly lining. 




180. 



212 



THE PIDDOCKS. 



Shells are frequently found with rounded knobs inside, 
which the occupant has built up to protect himself 
against this burglar, which in size and shape resem- 
bles a pea. Its valves gape widely in front, and the 
entrance to its burrow is quite small. 

Fig. 181 represents a small specimen of the most 
common of our species of Piddocks. Its name is Pho- 
lalidea penita, Conr. , Fo-la-did'-e-a pen'-i-ta. While 
it is often even smaller than the cut, it 
sometimes grows to a much greater size. 
I have one preserved in alchohol which, 
including the epidermal tips, is four 
inches long. Like the other Piddocks 
the forward part of its shell is rounded 
and rasp-like, while the latter part is 
narrow and smooth. A triangular plate 
covers the hinge-area, and the valves 
end in epidermal flaps or scales. It is 
commonly found in the softer rocks along our whole 
coast. There are several varieties, as parva, Tryon, 
which is very small. In young specimens the for- 
ward end of the shell is not wholly closed, but gapes 
widely like that of the Rough Piddock. 

There is a very singular and very destructive mol- 
lusk, which lives especially in the harbor of San 
Francisco, and which is known as the Teredo, or 
ship-worm. Its true name is considered by Mr. Dall 
to be Xylotria pennatifera, Blainville, Zy-lo'-tri-a 
pen-na-tif'-e-ra. X. setacea, Tryon, is probably 
another name for the same species. 

Its great end in life seems to be to bore as long a 
hole as possible; not for the reason that it desires the 
wood for food, but simply for the fun of boring. The 
young of this remarkable mollusk, like those of the 




THE TEREDO. 213 

other lamellibranchs, are free swimmers, quite unlike 
the adult parents. After a brief and sportive life in 
the water they find a post or a floating piece of wood, 
and begin to bore a hole. 

At first this hole is very small, but as the creature 
grows the hole increases in diameter also. As he 
advances he lines the hole with shell, making a white 
tube, ever increasing in size. Communication with 
the outside water is kept up by the siphons, which 
reach to the original entrance. Through these 
siphons, a current of circulation is kept in motion, 
bringing in food and breath, and carrying away all 
chips and refuse particles. 

If our borer finds that his hole is approaching the 
tube of another of his species, he turns his course 
and bores on through undisturbed wood. Thus it 
happens that the timbers of which a wharf is built 
may appear perfectly sound, when, in fact, they are 
completely honey-combed. A little shock may 
break them open, disclosing the mass of tortuous 
tubes. 

The valves of the shell of this mollusk are at the 
very front of the tube, and are nearly spherical in 
shape. They gape widely at both ends. The front 
of the shells is very beautifully sculptured, though 
the markings are so fine that a microscope is needed 
by which to examine them. There is an internal 
spoon-shaped process in each valve as in all the Bor- 
ers. There are also two peculiar, oar-shaped, shelly 
appendages, which close the external opening of the 
burrow and perhaps perforin other duties. The 
globular shell of the Teredo is about half an inch in 
diameter, and the pens or oars are some two inches in 
length. 



214 BRACHYOPODS. 

Xylotria Stutchburryi, Jeff., Stuch-bur'-ry-i, has a 
very small shell, and is found in southern waters. 
The valves are white and triangular, and the pens are 
minute and club-shaped. 

The Brachyopods are usually classed with the mol- 
lusks, though they have certain characteristics which 
ally them to the worms. In structure they are quite 
unlike the Lamellibranchs, but they resemble them 
in appearance, for they have bivalve shells. These 
shells, however, instead of being upon the right and 
left sides of the animal, cover the upper and under 
surfaces. The beak of the upper valve projects over 
the lower, and in this projection is a hole, through 
which passes the fleshy stalk that anchors the animal 
to its resting place. 

Within the shell are two long, feathery arms, 
which may be extended and used for catching food. 
They serve also as gills; at least they partly perform 
that office. These curious arms were once considered 
analogous to feet, hence the name, Brachiopod, or 
Arm-footed. 

Most of the Brachiopods had been dead for ages 
before the creation of man, and their fossil remains 
are very abundant in the earlier rocks. But there are 
a few living species, though specimens are rarely 
obtained, and most of them live in quiet deep water. 

Terebratula unguiculus, Cpr., Ter-e-brat'-u-la un- 
guic'-u-lus, has a wrinkled, gray shell, usually less 
than an inch in length. I have seen a northern spec- 
imen attached to the shell of a dead gasteropod. 

Waldheimia pulvinata, Gld., Wald-hi'-mi-a pul-vi- 
na'-ta, from the north and W. Californica, from the 
state indicated by its name, have smooth, thin, sub- 
globular shells, of an ashy color and a larger size. 



THE TONGUE SHELL. 215 

Within the valves are singular shelly loops for sus- 
taining the organs. 

Waldheimia Grayi, Davidson, has quite thick, red 
valves, marked by eight or ten radiating ribs. The 
shells are rather flat, somewhat triangular, and are an 
inch and a half or less in length. 

Our last engraving, Fig. 182, gives us a represen- 
tation of Lingula albida, Hds., Lin'-gu-la al'-bi-da. 
The shell is shaped like a duck's bill, being 
thin, with nearly straight edges and a square 
end. It fastens itself to an anchorage by a 
long, fleshy stalk, which is shown in the cut 
as dry and curled. The shell is glossy, and 
is of a yellowish white color. It is a southern 
species, and is about an inch in length. 

Besides all these, there is another class of 
mollusks, which are the most highly organized 
They are the Cephalopods or Head-walkers, 
so named because they have a series of large tentacles 
around the head, and these they use both for locomo- 
tion and for prehension. They include Squids, Cuttle- 
fishes, and Nautili, the last of which alone have true 
external shells. Octopus punctatus, Gabb, Oc'-to- 
pus punk-ta'-tus, is the eight-armed Cuttle or Devil- 
fish which is chiefly found in southern waters. It has 
power to change its color, but it is generally of a dark 
hue, marked with many small dots. 

There are several species of Squid along the coast. 
the names of which seem at present to be rather 
uncertain. They have long, slender bodies of a light 
color, a dart-shaped tail, large eyes, and ten tentacles, 
two of which are much longer than the others. 

With these, we close our descriptions of the mol- 
lusks, and turn to the remaining pages, which will 
help us in our study of what has gone before. 




BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. 



Adams, Arthur, (A. Ad.). A distinguished English student 
and writer. One of the authors of the celebrated work on the 
" Genera of Recent Mollusca," published about thirty years ago. 

Adams, Prof. Charles B. (C. B. Ad.). 1814-1853. Professor 
of Natural History in Amherst College, Mass. He was an extraor- 
dinary worker, and collected the very fine cabinet of shells still 
preserved at that college. He wrote chiefly on the shells of 
Panama, which region he carefully explored. 

Baird, Dr. W. An English naturalist of recent times. 

Binney, Amos. Born in Boston 1803 ; died in Rome, whither 
he had gone for his health, 1847. He was a successful merchant, 
and an ardent lover of nature. He wrote chiefly on the Land 
Shells of the U. S. He left money for the publication and distri- 
bution of his unfinished books on the same, which were completed 
by Dr. Gould. 

Binney, W. G. (W. G. B.). Son of the above, and one of the 
leading conchologists of the present time. He has supplemented 
his father's work, and is the author of the volume on "American 
Land Shells," recently published at Washington, D. C. 

Bland, Thomas. A naturalist of New York, who has given 
much attention to species of land mollusks. 

Broderip, Wm. J. (Brod.). An English naturalist, born in 
Bristol, 1817. He published several popular works on zoology, 
from 1847 to 1857. 

Carpenter, Philip P. (Cpr.). A very distinguished English 
conchologist, who spent considerable time in America. He studied 
the shells of the West Coast, and made careful reports to the Brit- 
ish Association, one of which was reprinted by the Smithsonian 
Institution in 1872. He died soon after its publication. 

Chemnitz, (Chem.). A German naturalist of the last century. 

Conrad, Timothy A. Born in New Jersey. 1803. A distin- 
guished writer upon recent and fossil shells. 

Cooper, Dr. J. G. A noted California conchologist and writer. 
who has made a particular study of the land mollusks. lie resides 
at Hay wards, Cat. 

217 



2l8 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. 

Dald, Wm. H. One of the foremost of American naturalists ; 
now at the head of the Department of Mollusca in the Smithsonian 
Institution. 

Deshayes, Gerard P. (Desh.). A French naturalist, whose 
publications date from 1835 onward. 

Dixon, Capt. Geo. An English sea-captain, who published in 
1789 an account of his voyage round the world. 

D'Orbigny, (D'Orb.), 1S02-1S57. A French naturalist and writer 
upon mollusks. 

Donovan, Edward, (Don.). A very voluminous English writer 
upon insects, shells, etc. He lived in the early part of this cen- 
tury. 

Draparnaud, Prof. Jaoues, (Drap.), 1772-1S06. His writings 
were chiefly upon the land and fresh-water mollusks of France. 

Ducxos, (Duel.). A French naturalist who flourished about 
fifty years ago. 

Eschscholtz, (Esch.). The distinguished naturalist who ac- 
companied the Russian explorer, Otto von Kotzebue, from 1815- 
1826. They visited this coast and collected valuable scientific 
material. 

Forbes, Prof. Edward, (Fbs.). 1S15-1854. An English scholar 
and writer. With Hanly, he published in 1853 the " History of 
British Mollusks." 

Gabb, W. M. A noted American naturalist ; at one time pale- 
ontologist for the California State Geological Survey. 

Gmeden, Johann F., (Gmel.), 1744- 1774. A German professor 
at Tubingen. He edited an Edition of Linne's Systema Natures. 

Gould, Dr. A. A., (Gljd.), 1805-1S66, was a native of New 
Hampshire, but spent most of his life in Boston, in the practice of 
his profession. Yet he found time to write much upon Natural 
History, particularly upon mollusks. His advice to a young natural- 
ist who had more enthusiasm than riches is full of golden thoughts: 
" You must go ahead and earn your living, and use your leisure 
for study, as I have done, only don't wait for the leisure to be 
greater ; do something, if but little ever}- day ; otherwise, when 
wealth or age give you greater leisure, your interest will have faded 
and your opportunity will be gone." 

Gray, John B., 1800-1S75. For nearly fifty years he was con- 
nected with the British Museum, and finally became its keeper. 
He wrote valuable catalogues of the same. 



BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. 219 

Haedeman, Prof. Samuel S., (Hald.). He was born in Penn., 
in 1812, and became a distinguished writer and teacher. His writ- 
ings on mollusks refer chiefly to fresh-water" species. He wrote 
also upon philology. 

Haneey, Syevanus, (Hani.). An English scientist, associated 
with Prof. Forbes. 

HemphiUv, Henry. A well-known student and collector of 
mollusks, particularly those of this coast and of Florida. His 
catalogues and collections have been of great assistance in the pre- 
paration of this book. He resides in San Diego, Cal. 

Hinds, Richard B, (Hds.). The English naturalist who ac- 
companied Sir Edward Belcher on his voyage round the world, in 
"H. M. S. Sulphur," from 1836 to 1842. 

Ingersoix, Ernest. Naturalist of the U. S. Geological Survey 
of the Territories, under Prof. Hayden. 

Lea, Isaac, L.L. D., 1 792-1886. Dr. Lea's ancestors came over 
from England with William Penn. Most of his life was spent in 
Philadelphia, where he was connected with a large publishing 
house. His writings are very voluminous, relating chiefly to the 
Unionidce or River Mussels. 

Leach, Dr. Wm. E. Curator of the Natural History Depart- 
ment of the British Museum, during the early part of this century. 

Linne or Linnaeus, Care von, (Linn.), 1707-177S. The great 
Swedish naturalist, and author of the modern system of scientific 
nomenclature. His early life was full of difficulties, but when he 
became professor of Botany at the University of Upsal, his depart- 
ment soon became filled with eager students. He wrote many 
valuable works, and received great honors. 

MarTyn, Thos., (Mart.). An early English naturalist who pub- 
lished in 1784 a beautiful work entitled "The Universal Coucholo- 
gist." 

Middendorff, Dr. A. Th. v., (Midd.). An early scientific 
writer upon the shells of this coast. His reports were published in 
St. Petersburg from 1823 onwards. 

Morch, Otto A. L. Part of his writings, on the Vermetia 
were published in London, in 1S61. But few of his species are 
found on this coast. 

Morse, Prof. Edward S. Born in Maine, [838. A distin- 
guished writer upon zoology, particularly noted for his skill in 
illustrating his works. 

Newcomb, Dr. Weseey, (Newc). An American naturalist, and 
collector of one of the finest cabinets o{ shells in the country. It 



220 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX. 

is now at Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., where Dr. Newcomb, 
now an old man, still has charge of it. He formerly lived and ex- 
plored in the Sandwich Islands and in California. 

Nuttall, Prof. Thos., (Nutt), 1786-1859. His birth and death 
both occurred in England, but he spent most of his life in Amer- 
ica, being professor of Natural History in Harvard College, from 
1822-34. 

Peeiffer, Louis, (Pfr.). A celebrated German conchologist, 
author of numerous works, published from 1847 onward. 

Phiuppi, E. B., (Phil.). Another German naturalist of about 
the same date as the last. 

Prime, Temple. An American naturalist who has given especial 
attention to the smaller fresh-water bivalve mollusks. His check- 
list of the same was published bv the Smithsonian Institution in 
i860. 

REEVE, LovELL A., (Rve.), 1808-1865. A London author and 
publisher of extensive and beautiful conchological works. 

RowELL, J., Rev. A clergyman of San Francisco, who has 
described several new species, and who has collected a very fine 
cabinet of shells. 

Say, Thomas, i 787-1 843. One of the earliest and most distin- 
guished of American naturalists. He was a native of Philadelphia. 
His work had a most healthy influence on the cause of scientific 
investigation. 

Stearns, Robt. E. C. A distinguished conchologist, formerly 
connected with the University of California, now with the Smith- 
sonian Institution. 

Sowerby, Geo. B. Jr., (Sby. or Sowb.). An English concholo- 
gist and artist, born in 181 2. Both his father and his grandfather 
were eminent naturalists. 

Swainson, William. Author of "Exotic Conchology," pub- 
lished in London, 1821-35, and a very voluminous writer upon 
Natural History. 

Tryon, Geo. W., Jr. An American naturalist, and a writer and 
publisher of extensive works upon conchology. He is connected 
with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. 

Valenciennes, (Val.). A French naturalist of the first half of 
this century. 

Wood, William. A Loudon author and Natural History book- 
seller. He published many books on shells, from 1818 onwards. 



KEY 

FOR THE 

Analysis of Shells. 



MARINE UNIVALVES. 

CHAPTER. 

Shell somewhat fusiform, with a distinct canal and an 

unpolished surface II — V 

With short canal and polished surface . - VI 

With opposite varices and canals VI 

Without canal, rounded, white, spire short VII 

Shell consisting chiefly of a slender spire VII, VIII 

Shell an inverted cone VIII 

Aperture as long as the shell IX 

Shell spiral, very minute X 

Shell short and full, found on upper rocks X 

Shell horn-shaped, dark XI 

Shell tubular and contorted XI 

Shell slipper-shaped XI 

Shell top-shaped or turban-shaped, aperture entire, pearl v 

within XII 

Shell large and flattened, with holes in the side XIII 

Shell volcano-shaped XIII 

Shell like an inverted cup or saucer XIV 

Shell small, with ear-shaped aperture XVII 

Shell thin and bubble-shaped XVII 

FRESH-WATER UNIVALVES. 

Shell wheel-shaped XVI 

Shell rounded, with short spire IX, XVI 

With long spire X, XVII 

Sinistral shells XVI 

Shells minute, limpet-shaped XVI 

221 



222 KEY. 

MARINE BIVALVES. 

Valves somewhat circular, joined by one large muscle . . XXI 

Valves dark, mussel -shaped XXII 

Valves white, circular XXII 

Valves cordate, no pallial sinus XXIII 

Valves rough, attached to rocks XXIII 

Valves mostlv white, strong, sculptured ; with pallial 

sinus . XXIII 

Valves mostly thin, smooth; ligament internal XXIII 

Similar, but with ligament external, sinus deep . . XXIII, XXIV 

Valves somewhat razor-shaped XXIV 

Hinge tooth spoon-shaped XXV 

Valves thin, inflated, irregular XXIV 

Valves with dissimilar ends, borers . XXV 

Brachiopod shells XXV 

FRESH-WATER BIVALVES. 

Small and nearly circular - t XXII 

Larger and oblong XXII 

MARINE MULTIVALVES. 

Shell composed of eight plates XV 

LAND SHELLS. 

Shell very thin, slender XVIII 

Shell minute, cylindrical XVIII 

Shell spiral, varying from flattened to globose .... XVIII — XX 

Shell rudimentary, often concealed under the mantle of 

the slug-like animal XX 



Glossary. 



PAGE. 

Aperture, the mouth of the shell 12 

Bivalve, a mollusk with two shells 157 

Byssus, a bundle of fibers 166 

Canal, a tube or channel . 12 

Carnivorous, flesh-eating 12 

Columella, the shelly axis 12 

Coralline, a stony sea- weed 100 

Cordate, heart-shaped . 180 

Corrugated, ridged 34 

Dextral, right-handed „ . . . . 48 

Epidermis, the outside skin . . 20 

Fusiform, spindle-shaped 12 

Genus, a group of similar species 17 

Globose, like a globe 132 

Ligament, the elastic substance at the hinge 159 

LunulE, a heart-shaped depression 178 

Mollusk, a soft-bodied animal without joints 16 

NulliporE, a kind of stony vegetation 99 

Operculum, door to the aperture 14 

Peristome, rim of the aperture 37 

ReticTulaTions, net-work 40 

Sinistral, left-handed 48 

Sinus, an inward curve 159 

Siphon, a breathing tube 41 

Species, a distinct type 27 

Spheroidal, somewhat like a sphere 46 

Strl^, fine parallel lines 34 

Suture, line between two whorls 13 

Tentacles, feelers 155 

Umbilicus, central opening 13 

Umbo, beak of a bivalve shell 158 

Univalve, a one-shelled mollusk 12 

Varix, a periodical ridge 14 

Whorl, a spiral turn 13 

223 



CHECK LIST 

AND 

Index ok Species. 



Acruaea Asmi, Midd 102 

mitra, Esch 99 

patina, Esch 101 

pelta, Esch 102 

persona, Esch 102 

rosacea, Cpr too 

scabra, Nutt 101 

spectrum, Nutt 100 

Acroluxus Nuttalli, Hald. . . 115 

Adula falcata, Gld 170 

stylina, Cpr 170 

Aglaia fidelis, Gray 142 

infumata, Gld 142 

Alexia myosotis, Drap 124 

Alvania aequisculpta, Cpr ... 65 

Amiantis callosa, Conr 187 

Amnicola longinqua, Gld. . . 63 
Amphisphyra subquadrata, 

Cpr 125 

Amphissa corrugata, Rve ... 34 
Amusiuni caurinum, Gld .... 168 

Amycla carinata, Hds 35 

Anachis penicillata, Cpr.... 19 

subturrita, Cpr 19 

Ancylus fragilis, Tryou t 15 

subrotundatus, Tryon r 15 

Angulus Gouldii, Cpr 196 

modestus, Cpr 195 

obtusus, Cpr 195 

variegatus, Cpr 196 

Anodonta angulata, Lea 175 

Californensis, Lea i 74 

Nuttalliana, Lea 175 

Oregouensis, Lea .... 1 75 



Anomia lampe, Gray 

Ariolimax Californicus, 
Cooper 

Columbianus, Gld 

Hemphilli, W. G. B. . . 

nfger, Cooper 

Arionta arrosa, Gld 

Ayresiana, Newc 

Californensis, Lea 

Carpenteri, Newc 

Diabloensis, Cooper. . 

Dupetithouarsi, Desh. 

exarata, Pfr 

facta, Newc 

Gabbi, Newc 

intercisa, \V. G. B . . . . 

Kelletti, Forbes 

Mormonum, Pfr 

Nickliniana, Lea 

ramentosa, Gld 

rufocincta, Newc 

sequoicola, Cooper. . . 

Stearnsiana, Gabb 

Townsendiana, Lea . . 

Traskii, Newc 

tudiculata, Binn 

Assiminea Californica, Coop- 
er 

Astyris aurantiaea, Dall 

chrysalloides, Cpr. . . . 

gausapata, Gld 

tuberosa, Cpr 

Axinea intermedia, Brod . . . 
Barbatia gradata, Shy 



163 

55 

55 
54 
54 
35 
38 
34 
38 
35 
40 
36 



44 



42 
33 
36 

;>^ 
36 

66 
36 
36 
35 
36 
169 
169 



225 



226 



CHECK LIST AND 



Barleeia haliotiphila, Cpr ... 64 
subtenuis, Cpr 65 

Binneya notabilis, Cooper . . 

Bittium attenuatum, Cpr .... 

filosum, Gld 72 

quadrifilatum, Cpr ... 72 

Bryophila setosa, Cpr 169 

Bulinus hypnorum, Linn ... 120 

Bulla uebulosa, Gld 126 

Bythinella Binneyi, Tryon . . 
nuclea, Lea 

Calliostoma annulatu 111, 

Mart 79 

canaliculatum, Mart. . 80 

costatum, Mart 81 

genimulatum, Cpr ... 81 

splendens, Cpr 82 

supragrauosum, Cpr. . 82 
tricolor, Gabb 82 

Callistochiton decoratus, Cpr. 112 

fimbriatus, Cpr 112 

palmulatus, Cpr 112 

Cardium corbis, Mart 180 

quadriginarium, Conr. 192 

Carnifex Newberryi, Lea ... 115 

Carychium exiguum, Say. . . 124 

Cerithidea sacrata, Gld 71 

Cerithiopsis assimilata, C. B. 

Ad 48 

columna, Cpr 48 

tuberculata, Mont 48 

Cerostoma foliatum, Gmel . . 27 
Nuttalli, Conr 26 

Chsetopleura gemma, Cpr . . 112 
Hartwigii. Cpr . 107 

Charna exogyra, Conr 182 

pellucida, Sby 182 

Chemnitzia castanea, Cpr. . . 52 

tenicula, Gld 52 

torquata, Gld 51 

Chione fluctifraga, Sby 187 

simillima, Sby 186 

succincta, Val 187 

Chlorostoma aureotinctum, 

Fbs 84 

brurmeum, Phil 83 

funebrale, A. Ad 84 



Chlorostoma gallina, Fbs ... 84 

Pfeifferi, Phil 83 

Chorus Belcheri, Hds 25 

Chrisodomus dirus, Rve . ... 17 

liratus, Mart 19 

Circe marginata, Cpr 

Clathurella interclathrata, 

Cpr . : : 65 

Caecum Califoruicum, Dall . 73 

crebricostatum, Cpr . . 73 

Conus Californicus, Hds .... 54 

Corbula luleola, Cpr 204 

Crassatella marginata, Cpr. . 179 
Crepidula aculeata, Gmel. . . 76 

adunca, Sby 75 

dorsata, Brod 76 

navicelloides, Nutt... 76 

rugosa, Nutt 76 

Crucibulum spinosum, Sby . 77 
Cryptochiton Stelleri, Midd . no 
Cryptomya Californica, 

Conr 205 

Cumingia Californica, Conr. 196 
Dentalium hexagonum, Sby . 1 14 

pretiosum, Nutt 113 

Diala acuta, Cpr 62 

marmorea, Cpr 61 

Diplodonta orbella, Gld 179 

Donax Californicus, Conr . . 192 

flexuosus, Gld 192 

Drillia Hemphilli, Stearns . . 

mcesta, Cpr 56 

penicillata, Cpr 56 

torosa, Cpr 56 

Dunkeria laminata, Cpr .... 52 

Evalea graciliente, Cpr 52 

.tenuisculpta, Cpr. . . 52 
Entodesma inflata, Conr. . . . 203 

saxicola, Baird 203 

Erato columbella, Menke. . . 61 

vitellina, Hds 60 

Ethalia supravolata, Cpr ... 85 

Eulinia micans, Cpr 50 

rutila, Cpr 50 

Euparypha Tryoni, Newc. . . 132 
Ferrussacia subcylindrica, 

Linn 131 



INDEX OF SPECIES. 



227 



Fissurella volcano, Rve .... 96 

Fissurellidaea bimaculata, 

Dall 97 

calliomarginata, Cpr . 97 

Fluminicola fusca, Hald 62 

Hindsii, Baird 63 

Nuttalliana, Lea 63 

virens, Lea 63 

Fusus ambustus, Gld 21 

Kobelti, Dall 21 

Gadinea reticulata, Sby 98 

Gibbula parcipicta, Cpr .... 79 
succincta, Cpr 79 

Glycimeris, generosa, Gld.. 209 

Glyphis aspera, Esch 96 

densiclathrata, Rve. . . 97 

Glyptostoma Newberryanum, 

W. G. B 143 

Goniobasis nigrina, Lea .... 69 

occata, Hds 69 

plicifera, Lea 69 

GoniostomaYatesii, Cooper. 144 

Gundlachia Californica, Row- 
ell 115 

Gyraulus parvus, Say ...... 1 r 7 

vermicularis, Gld 116 

Haliotis corrugata, Gray .... 94 
Cracherodii, Leach . . . 93 
rufescens, Swains .... 92 
splendens, Rve 90 

Haminea vesicula, Gld 126 

virescens, Sby 126 

Helicodiscus lineatus, Say. . 153 

Helix (Arionta, etc.) 131 

Hillebrandi, Newc .... 143 

Helisoma amnion, Gld 117 

bicarinatus, Say-, 117 

trivolvis, Say 118 

Hemphillia glandulosa, Bin. 

and Bid 153 

Heterodonax b i rn a c ulatus, 

D'Orb .191 

Hinnites giganteus, Gray. . .165 

Hipponyx autiquatus, Linn. 74 
tumeus, Cpr 75 

Hydrobia egeua, Gld 

Ianthina trifida, Nutt 114 



Isapis fenestrata, Cpr 65 

obtusa, Cpr 65 

Ischnochiton Cooperi, Cpr. .112 

regularis, Cpr io7 

Ischnoplax pectinulatus,Cpr 112 

Jeffreysia Alderii, Cpr 

Katherina tunicata, Sby .... 11 1 

Kellia Laperousii, Desh .... 178 

suborbicularis, Mont .177 

Lacuna porrecta, Cpr 66 

solidula, Lov 66 

unifasciata, Cpr 66 

Larnellaria S a n d i e gensis, 

Dall 

Stearnsii, Dall 47 

Lassea rubra, Mont 178 

Lazaria subquadrata, Cpr. . . 179 
LepidopleurusMertensii, Cpr 108 
Leptocniton rugatus, Cpr. . . 112 
Leptolimnsea Kirtlandiana, 

Lea 121 

Leptonyx bacula, Cpr 87 

sanguineus, Linn 87 

Lima orientalis, Ad. and Rve 168 

Limax Hewstonii, Cooper. . . 154 

montanus, Ingersoll. .154 

Limnaea ampla, Mighels. ... 123 

stagnalis, Linn 123 

Limnophysa Adalinae,Tryon 122 

bulimoides, Lea 122 

caperata, Say 122 

catascopium, Say 122 

desidiosa, Say 121 

humilis, Say 122 

palustris, Mull 123 

proxima. Lea 123 

Lingula albida, Hds 215 

Liocardium elatum, Sby 181 

substriatum, Conr. . . . 1S1 
Lithophagus plumula, Han. 171 
Liotia acuticostata, Cpr.... So 

fenestrata, Cpr So 

Littorina planaxis, Nutt .... 68 

rudis, Don 68 

scutulata. Old oS 

Lottia gigantea, Gray 98 

Lucapina crenulata, Sby .... 05 



228 



CHECK LIST AND 



Lucina Californica, Conr. . . 178 

Nuttalli, Conr 179 

Lunatia Lewisii, Gld 45 

Luponia spadicea, Gray .... 59 

Lutricola alta, Conr 197 

Lyonsia Californica, Conr . .202 
Macoma inconspicna, Br. and 

Sby 195 

indeutata. Cpr 195 

inquinata, Cpr 195 

nasuta, Conr 194 

secta, Conr 191 

Machaera patula, Dixon 201 

Macrocyclis Duranti, Newc.151 
Hemphilli, W. G. B . . 152 

sport ell a, Gld 151 

Yancouverensis, Lea .152 

Voyana, Newc 151 

Macron lividus, A. Ad 20 

Kellettii, A. Ad 21 

Mangelia angulata, Cpr ... 55 

merita, Gld 55 

striosa, C. B. Ad . 5.5 

Mangerella conspicua, Cpr. . 108 
Margarita acuticostata, Cpr . 79 

helicina, Mont 79 

pupilla, Gld 78 

Margaritana margaritifera, 

Linn .... 176 

Marginella Jewettii, Cpr 43 

pyriformis, Cpr 43 

regularis, Cpr 43 

subtrigona, Cpr 43 

Martesia intercalata, Cpr. . . .211 
Melampus olivaceus, Cpr ... 124 
Menetus operculars, Gld ... 117 
Mesalia tennisculpta, Cpr . . 73 
Mesodon Columbianus, Lea. 145 

devius, Gld 145 

Microphysa Ingersolli, Bid . 146 
Lansingi,Bld. and Bin. 146 

Milneria minima, Dall 169 

Miralda quinquecincta, Cpr. 52 

Mitra niaura. Swains 42 

Mitromorpha aspera, Cpr. . . 55 

filosa. Cpr 55 

Modiola fornicata, Cpr 173 



Modiola modiolus, Linn 171 

recta, Conr 171 

Mcera salmonea, Cpr 196 

Monoceros engonatum,Conr. 29 

lapilloides, Conr 28 

lugubris, Sby 30 

Mopalia ciliata, Sby no 

Hindsii, Gray 112 

lignosa, Gld 109 

Wossnessenskii,Midd . 109 

Mumiola cincta, Cpr 54 

Murex trialatus, Sby 21 

Muricidea incisa, Brod 22 

Mya arenaria, Linn 206 

Mytillimeria Nuttalli, Conr. 203 

Mytilus bifurcatus, Conr. ... 173 

Californicus, Conr. ... 172 

edulis, Linn 173 

Myurella simplex, Cpr 56 

Nacella depicta, Gld 103 

incessa, Hds 103 

instabilis, Gld 103 

paleacea, Gld 104 

triangularis, Cpr 1 04 

Nassa Cooperi, Fbs 37 

fossata, Gld 36 

mendica, Gld 37 

perpinguis, Hds 38 

tegula, Rve 37 

Natica clausa, Brd and Sby. 46 
Netastomella Darwinii, Sby 209 
Neverita Recluziana, Petit . . 46 
Nuttalliana scabra, Rve. .... 108 
Obeliscus variegatus, Cpr. . . 54 
Ocinebra circumtexta, 

Stearns 24 

gracillima, Steans .... 24 

interfossa, Cpr 24 

lurida, Midd 23 

Poulsoni, Nutt 23 

Octopus punctatus, Gabb. - .215 
Odostomia Gouldii, Cpr .... 53 

gravida, Cpr 53 

inflata Cpr 53 

nuciformis, Cpr 53 

satura, Cpr 54 

CEdelina subdiaphana, Cpr. . 196 



INDEX OF SPECIES. 



229 



Olivella biplicata, Sby 40 

boetica, Cpr 42 

Omphalitis fuscescens, Phil.. 82 

Opalia borealis, Gld 49 

crenatoides, Cpr 49 

Oscilla insculpta, Cpr , 52 

Ostrea lurida, Cpr 164 

Virgin iana, Lister 164 

Ovuluni formicarium, Sby . . 61 
Pachydesma crassatelloides, 

Conr 189 

Pachypoma gibberosum, 

Chem 87 

Pallochiton lanuginosa, Cpr. 
Paludinella Newcombiana, 

Hemphill 66 

Parapholas Californica, Conr. 211 

Patula asteriscus, Morse 147 

Cronkheitei, Newc . . . 147 
Idahoensis, Newc .... 149 

solitaria, Say 147 

striatella, Anthony . . . 146 

strigosa, Gld 148 

Pedicularia Californica, 

Newc 58 

Pedipes unisulcata, Cpr. .... 124 
Periploma argentaria, Conr. 204 
Petricola carditoides, Conr. . 183 
Pecten aequisulcatus, Cpr. . .166 

hastatus, Sby 167 

hericeus, Gld 168 

monotimeris, Conr . . . 167 

latiauritus, Conr 167 

Phasianella compta, Gld .... 89 
Pholadidea parva, Try on . . .212 

penita, Conr 212 

Pholas Pacifica, Stearns 209 

Physa Carltonii, Lea 119 

Cooperi, Try on r 19 

costata, Newc 119 

Gabbi, Tryon 119 

heterostropha. Say ...118 
politissima, Tryon ....119 
Physella Columbiana, Hemp- 
hill 120 

Pisidium abditum, Hald 176 

compressum. Prime . . 176 



Pisidium ultramontanum, 

Prime 176 

Placiphorella velata, Cpr . . . 108 
Placuanomia macroschisma, 

Desh 163 

Platyodon cancellatus, Conr. 208 
Polygyra Harfordiana, Cpr . 144 
Polygyrella polygyrella,Bld. 144 

Pomatia aspersa, Mull 143 

Pomaulax undosus, Wood . . 89 

Pompholyx effusa, Lea 116 

Potamiopsis intermedia, Try- 
on 63 

Priene Oregonensis, Redf . . 44 
Prophyson Hemphilli, Bid. 

andW. G. B 153 

Psammobia rubro-radiata, ' 

Nutt 199 

Psephis tantilla, Gld 186 

Pteronotus festivus, Hds . . . . 22 
Pupa Arizonensis, Gabb .... 130 

Blaudii, Morse 130 

Californica, RowelL.130 
corpulenta, Morse .... 131 

muscorum, Linn 131 

Rowelli, Newc 130 

Purpura canaliculata, Duel . . 32 

crispata, Chem 33 

lima, Mart 32 

saxicola, Val 31 

Pyramidella conica, C. B. Ad 54 
Ranella Californica, Hds. ... 44 
Rhextaxis punctocaelata.Cpr 1 25 

Rissoa acutilirata, Cpr 65 

Rissoina iiiterfossa, Cpr 65 

Rupellaria lamellifera. Conr. 183 
Sanguinolaria Nuttalli.Conr. 198 

Saxicava arctica, Linn 2 N 

Saxidomus aratus, Gld 183 

Nuttalli, Conr 1S4 

squalidus, Desh [85 

Scalaria Hindsii, Cpr 40 

Indianorum, Cpr 50 

Schizothserus Nuttallu,Conr. 205 

Scurria mitra, Esch 00 

Semele decisa, Conr 100 

pulchra, Sby 



2 3° 



CHECK LIST AND INDEX OF SPECIES. 



Semele rupium, Sby 190 

Septifer bifurcatus, Rve 171 

Serpulorbissquamigerus,Cpr 74 
Siphonalia Kellettii, Fbs.. . . 22 

Sigaretus debilis 47 

Siphonaria peltoides, Dall. . . 114 
Solecurtus California- 

nus, Conr 201 

Solen rosaceus, Cpr 202 

sicarius, Gld 202 

Sphaerium dentatum, Hald..i77 
occidentale, Prime .... 177 

patellum, Gld 177 

sulcatum, Lam e 177 

Spiroglyphus lituella,M6rch. 73 
Standella Californica, Conr. 190 

falcata, Gld 188 

nasuta, Conr 188 

planatula, Conr 188 

Stenoradsia Magdalen- 
sis, Rve 107 

Stenotrema germanum, Gld. 

Succinea avara, Say 129 

Gabbi, Try on 129 

Haydeni, W. G. B . . . . 128 

Nuttalliana, Lea -129 

Oregonensis, Lea 129 

Sillimani, Bid 129 

Stretchiana, Bid 129 

Surcula Carpenteriana,Gabb. 57 

Tapes lacineata, Cpr 186 

staminea, Conr 185 

tenerrima, Cpr 186 

Tellimya tumida, Cpr 178 

Tellina Bodegensis, Hds .... 197 
Terebratula unguiculus, Cpr. 214 

Thracia curta, Conr. 204 

Tonicella lineata, Wood .... 106 
Tornatina carinata, Cpr .... 125 



Tornatina culcitella, Gld. ... 125 

harpa, Dall 125 

inculta, Gld 125 

Triforis adversa, Mont 47 

Triodopsis loricata, Gld .... 145 
Trivia Californica, Gray .... 60 

Solan dri, Gray 60 

Trochiscus Norrisii, Sby 86 

Trophon multicostatus,Esch. 21 

Orpheus, Gld 21 

Truncatella Californica, Pfr. 62 
Stimpsonii, Stearns . . 62 

Turcica caffea, Gabb 82 

Turritella Cooperi, Cpr 73 

Vallonia pulchella, Miill .... 146 
Valvata sincera, Say ........ 62 

virens, Try on 62 

Velutina laevigata, Linn 47 

Vermiculus annellum,M6rch 

Vitrina PfeifFeri, Newc 152 

Volvarina varia, Sby 43 

Waldheimia Californica, 

Koch 214 

Grayi, Davidson 215 

pulvinata, Gld 214 

Xylotrya pennatifera, Blain.212 

setacea, Try on 212 

Stutchburryi, Jeff. .... 214 

Zirphaea crispata, Linn 210 

Zonites arboreus, Say 149 

Breweri, Newc 149 

cellarius, Miill 150 

chersina, Say 

conspectus, Bid 150 

crispata, Linn 

fulvus, Drap 150 

milium, Morse 151 

viridulus, Mke 150 

Whitneyi, Newc 150 



X 



